I Love You, But I Don't Want To Marry You
by TeamDimitriBelikov
Summary: Rose is the Princess of Turkey, and Dimitri is the Prince of Russia. What happens when they are forced to marry, but Rose doesn't want it to be arranged? What if she falls in love with him, but knows that she doesn't want it? M SCENES WILL BE MARKED RxD
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Yes, a new story! I know you guys are wondering why we haven't updated our other fanfics in a while, well that's because school's been pure hell, and Victoria and Vanessa go to a different school then me and Katerina. :'( So we don't get to see each other more often. So anyways, Katerina and I are writing this new story. She had this idea stuck in her head for a while, so we figured, why not write it and post it on fanfiction? So we did and tada! This is probably our favorite story, so please R&R!**

**IMPORTANT: Everyone is human! RXD, this takes place a long time ago, probably in the 1800s I think...haha, were bad at history. But anyways, I don't really care if we didn't get the facts right, so no smartass comments! Haha, thanks!**

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Chapter 1

Some things fall, when other things prosper. I, for one, don't know which I am. My name is Princess Rosemarie Catherine Mazur of Turkey. My father, Abraham Mazur, is the King of Turkey. My mother died in childbirth eighteen years ago, so I have never met her. I have only met her in my dreams. My father has told me anything about her. Only that she was a brave woman who was quiet the challenger. He hasn't spoken to a soul about her ever since.

I am the Princess of Turkey, yes. Although I am in line for the throne, my father disagrees. He would like my step-brother, Adrian Mazur, to be the next King. Father remarried three months after my mother died. His new mistress, Daniella Mazur, married him, which made her and her three year old son (twenty-one now) apart of our family. Although Adrian could be quiet a lady's man, he is a true brother. He protects me as if a war was being fought, and he loves me like a dear sister. I love him as well.

I am not disappointed that father would like to pass the throne down to Adrian. But I _am _disappointed that he has arranged for me to marry the Prince of Russia. I do not know anything about him and I think he is vain. Father wants peace and a connection with Russia, so since this Prince is next in line for his throne, I will be the Queen of Russia. The wedding is set for mid-fall. Today is the third of January. I have about ten months or so until I am given away to an unknown Russian family. I do not even know his name.

Today we are leaving for Russia. My betrothed, the Prince, will arrive in his armada of ships to escort me to his homeland. Father wants me to behave my best because he knows I do not want this. But I will do this for my country. I do not believe in arranged marriages. I believe that a man and woman must find themselves in a deep pool surrounded by love, and actually love each other, instead of it being arranged. I will marry the Russian Prince, but I will never love him. And I will stand by my decision as long as I live.

"Your majesty, it is the morning. The Prince shall arrive soon," my lady Lissa announced, waking me up.

I sat up in my canopy bed and rubbed my eyes. "Very well, Lissa. And for the last time, please call me Rose. We are good friends."

She gave the faintest of smiles then curtseyed. I rolled my eyes and sat up.

"Run a bath for me, please," I ordered. "And tell Mia to set out the gown Father wants me to wear for the Prince."

She did as I asked and left. I stood up, wobbling on my feet a little, then smoothed out my plain, white nightgown. I looked around my familiar room, taking in everything. I would miss this place. I would miss my palace, and I would miss the land of Turkey. I would be living in Russia for now. Father and Daniella would have to stay behind and sail to Russia for the wedding during the fall. Adrian would come with us, as well as his soon-to-be bride, Sydney. Her full name was Sydney Annika Loretta Sage, and she was the Princess of Hungary. Adrian's marriage was not arranged, much to my surprise. Sydney was sent by her father to retrieve something from Turkey, and ended up meeting Adrian. They fell in love and Adrian proposed to her before she left for Hungary. A few months later, she came back and they will get married after the Prince and I. Adrian was a womanizer back then, but when he met Sydney, he stopped and his mind was enhanced with the thought of just her. It was pure love, and it wasn't forced.

Lissa helped me into the bath and I soaked all my parts into the steamy hot water. One of my ladies named Mia came in and helped me into the dress I was wearing to Russia. It was a two piece dress spun of really gold from the mines. The top piece ended right below my breasts and started right on top of it, leaning out towards elegant shirt cuffs. The design on the dress was little flowers and vines running down the dress. It showed a big part of my stomach. Then there was a long, floor length skirt that curled at the bottom. The skirt started about mid-hip and flowed down with intricate swirl designs and spots of black. And there was also a sari, imported from India, that was mostly black but was also shaved and soaked from gold. I wrapped into around me so it covered some of my bellybutton and firmly around my wrists to hold it up. The dress was very fancy, and Father wanted the Prince to think of me as beautiful as I already was.

Lissa let my long hair that was arranged into loose curls down, so it made a pool down my back. My ladies made sure I was presentable then sent me downstairs while they packed my possessions. I didn't have time to say goodbye to my chamber because the Prince would arrive anytime soon. I went to the kitchen rather quickly and ate whatever the chefs laid out for me. It was some bread smothered with honey, and I shoved it into my mouth, walking to the grand ballroom were father wanted to meet me.

"G'morning, kizim," my father greeted. He was standing in the middle of the ballroom with Adrian and Daniella at his side. Sydney holding Adrian's hand dearly. I walked over to them and each one kissed my cheek.

"Good morning, baba," I said back. "Has the Prince arrived yet?"

Adrian shook his head. "Not yet, little sister. We are still awaiting his arrival. But soon, I am sure of it."

"Alright," I said. "But if I must marry this man, I must know much about him. What is his name?"

"Prince Dimitri Belikov. I'm sure you'd love him," Daniella chirped in happily. "And you should be lucky, Rose. The Princess of Egypt and India were also making claims on him."

I grounded my teeth together. I did not make a 'claim' on this so called 'Dimitri Belikov'. For one, I did not want to marry him nor become his wife.

"Behave, Rosemarie," father demanded. "I expect the greatest out of you. You look beautiful by the way. More beautiful then ever. The Prince is a very lucky man."

"Just for my beauty, baba?" I said wearily. "Not for what is inside me?"

"That's not what I meant," he said.

"Yes you did, father," I repeated. "A man should love a woman for what's inside of her. But I have not met the Prince, and I am quiet hard to figure out. It has taken my ladies ten years to learn everything there is to me."

"Then ten years it will take," my father looked at me. "Please, Rosemarie. I beg of you. Do not unleash that monstrous attitude of yours. I know you, and you are a fine woman. Prince Dimitri will praise you like a goddess."

I seriously disagreed with this, but what else could I do? There was no use in debating.

"I will do as you say, baba," I said quietly.

He nodded then smiled, patting my arm. Just then, the royal guard, Eddie, entered the room standing up high with his chin in the air.

"Your majesty, Prince Dimitri Belikov of Russia has arrived," he announced.

"Send him in," father ordered. Then he looked at me and gave me a reassuring look. I nodded my head slowly and straightened up. I might as well make a good impression. At least, while father's in the room. Adrian and Sydney appeared by my side for comfort. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

A few seconds later, I reopened them to see a tall, Russian man walking towards us. I clutched my sari lightly and stared right at him. Wow. I had to admit, he was quiet good looking. He had chocolate brown eyes and silky looking hair that was about shoulder length and tied at the nape of his neck. He wore a beige tunic that showed his some of his bulging abs, and a pair of dark brown slacks with black army boots.

But despite his good looks, I had to keep straightforward. I had to stick to my plan. I would not love him, because it was arranged. I would only marry him, and that is all.

He caught sight of me and nodded. Once he approached us, he knelt before me and took my small hand in his, giving it a kiss. His lips were warm against my skin, which made me shiver. Then, he stood up again and looked down at me with looming eyes.

"I am Dimitri Belikov, your majesty," he said, bowing slightly. I could hear a faint, Russian accent in his voice. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I looked at him with bored eyes, even though my heart was pounding with adrenaline. "Charmed. I am Rosemarie Hathaway, but you may call me Rose."

"Rose," he repeated. "A beautiful name. In Russia, we pronounce it Roza. May I call you so?"

Roza. It indeed was a beautiful name. It was like a prayer. A song that never ended.

"As you like," I said.

He gave me a small smile then looked at my father. "It is an honor to finally meet you, King Ibrahim." He said my my father's name in Russian, which made it sound twice as better. "Will you be accompanying us on our trip to Russia?"

Father shook his head. "No, but my fair son will. This is he." He motioned towards Adrian. "And this is his betrothed, Sydney of Hungary."

Dimitri made a nodding gesture at them then turned back to father. "Then it is set. We will leave as soon as possible. My mother is eager to meet you, Roza. As well as the rest of my family."

I forced a smile. "And I am eager to meet them. I shall summon my ladies to prepare for the trip."

"Until then, Princess," he drifted, leaning down to kiss my hand once again. I blinked a few times then left the ballroom. I went back up to my chamber and found Lissa and Mia folding my gowns neatly and packing them into sheepskin satchels. Lissa caught sight of me and stopped doing her work to attend to me.

"Is everything alright, Rose?" she asked. Alleluia! She finally calls me Rose.

"I don't know what to think, Lissa. I really don't," I exclaimed, sitting on the bed and folding my hands neatly in my lap.

"Have you met the Prince yet?"

I nodded. "I have, indeed. I must say he is quiet the gentlemen. But I have only met him, so I do not know anything but his name. And I have a feeling that is all I need to know about him."

Mia stopped folding one of my favorite nightgowns and walked over to us.

"You might as well give him a chance," she said softly. "After all, you will be spending your whole entire life with him."

I shot her a death glare and she shrunk back.

"Do not speak of that," I ordered. "I would like to be my on person, like Adrian. Why can I not have his life? He gets to marry whomever he chooses, and father couldn't care less. This is pure _hell_, Mia."

They both gasped at my bad vocabulary. Sure I was a princess, but I still had my swearing moments.

"Maybe you will grow to love him," Lissa comforted.

I rolled my eyes. "God forbid."

After a few minutes, my ladies finished packing and escorted me back downstairs, where preparations were being made for our trip. Father and the rest were nowhere to be seen. Lissa and Mia went off to prepare the carriages, so I was alone. I caught sight of Dimitri talking to one of his men. I just stood there and examined him, thinking of what he would be like. Well, he looked older then me. Probably in his twenties. And he looked quiet serious. I didn't know why he had agreed to marry me, instead of the Princess of Egypt or India. Egypt had all the gold, and India had all the trinkets. What was so special about Turkey?

"Rose?"

I swiveled around and met the eyes of Sydney Sage. I gave her a warming smile and stepped forward to where she was.

"You seem unsure of yourself," she consoled.

"I am, Sydney," I wearied. "I do not want to marry Dimitri Belikov, but I am forced to do it against my will."

"Suppose you will grow to love him," she responded, putting a hand on my forearm.

"Like I will allow that," I said with a hint of sarcasm. "I've always wanted to marry a man that I fell in love with on my own. I don't want anyone involved in our marriage."

Sydney nodded her head, understanding. "Indeed. But sometimes you will need a little help to fall in love with the person. A boast, perhaps. Love takes a while to understand, Rose."

I sighed. "Thank you, Sydney. I appreciate you comfort, but I'd like to handle this situation on my own."

"As you wish," she empathized. "We will be leaving in an hour, at least that is what Adrian has informed me." Then she left to go somewhere else.

The preparation for our voyage continued. Some of our servants had already gone down to the docks to ready the ships, while others stayed to ready the carriages. An hour passed and Daniella called me down to say our final goodbyes. I was mourning this moment, mostly because I would not see my family until the fall, but also because I would be handed off to a mysterious Russian family.

"Be well, kizim," father lamented. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I smiled into his chest.

"I will miss you, baba. Until the fall..."

He kissed my cheek and handed me over to Dimitri. He reluctantly led me over to the big entrance doors of palace. I looked around the familiar place for one last time. This was the place I grew up in. When Dimitri sensed that I was ready, he lead me off the carriages outside. He and I would be taking his carriage alone with my lady Lissa and one of his men named Christian. It would be the four of us in one carriage, Sydney, Adrian, Mia, and Eddie in another, and the rest of the royal guards and servants in the third.

"How long will the trip be?" I asked Dimitri as he helped me into his silver and black carriage.

He hoisted himself up and into the carriage after me. "A day's carriage ride will bring us to the dock. And from there, we will sail the Black Sea to Russia. The whole trip will take a month to the most."

I nodded my head as Christian and Lissa got into the carriage. We were arranged so that Dimitri and I were across from each other, as were Lissa and Christian. A moment later, we started moving. I looked out the window the entire time, saying my farewells to the land of Turkey. Lissa clutched her hand in mine tightly and I squeezed back.

"So tell me about your family," I acknowledged Dimitri.

He turned to me and began, "My family is quiet large. I have three sisters. Karolina is the oldest, and she has two beautiful children, Paul and Zoya, my nephew and niece. Then there is Sonya, she is only a few years older then me, and she is currently with child. She is eight months along. And finally, my little sister is Viktoria. She is seventeen years old, one year younger then you, I presume. My mother is Olena, the Queen. And my grandmother is Yeva ."

"Wow," I responded. "Quiet big."

"Tell me about your family," he encouraged.

"Well," I started, "I live with my father, my step-mother, and my step-brother. My real mother died when I was born. So father remarried Daniella, who already had Adrian in the family. Adrian is like an actual brother to me, and I love him. I love Daniella as well, but I can't help but imagine what my real mother would have been like."

"I'm truly sorry," he sympathized.

"There is nothing to grieve," I insisted. "Sydney is engaged to Adrian. I love her, too. And Lissa," I squeezed her hand, "is one of my dear friends."

Lissa blushed and looked down to her lap.

"It is very wise of you to treat your servants as friends," Dimitri accepted. "Christian here is not only my servant, but he is also my friend as well."

Christian grinned foolishly and punched Dimitri in the arm. Hm. How un-servant like. Usually servants were shy or quiet when it came to them, but not for Christian. How unique. They must be fairly close. Almost like brothers.

"You two are awfully close," I said before I had even realized it had come out of my mouth.

Dimitri nodded. "I think servants should be treated like family, not slaves. We must repay them for all the hard work and labor they have done for us."

Funny. That was exactly what I thought.

We continued traveling until my stomach started to grumble. Good thing Lissa was smart enough to think of bringing food inside the carriage. We had brunch consisting of bread, cheese, olives, boiled vegetables and legumes, and dried beans with cooked meat and crushed wheat. Then after I ate, I fell into a deep sleep.

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**Oh ya, and there will be some M scenes in this story. xD But were only fourteen, fifteen so pls bear with us! Thank u all and review! NExt chapter willl be up very sooon! I PROMISE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey people! Ahahaha, another chapter is here! Katerina and I loved writing this chapter. It has SUCH a sweet ending. :) Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter. We worked really hard on it so...YUP! I'm alone right now coz Katerina has this thing to go to. :'( OMGGG! Did you hear that the excerpt/1st chapter for Last Sacrifice will come out on the forth week of November? I'm so incredibly psyched! So tell me, who do you think Rose will choose? Dimitri, Adrian, or neither? ENJOY READING AND REVIEW!**

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Chapter 2

We arrived at the halfway point to the docks by noon. We would stop here for the rest of the day, since dangerous creatures or people were likely to be lurking around at night. Dimitri had arranged for all of us to stay at an inn owned by a wealthy farmer. Nobody could know our location, so we were known just as ordinary people. Not even the owner knew who we were.

The chambers were quiet big, so many of servants shared rooms. Sydney and Adrian shared a chamber, and Dimitri and I got our own chamber. All our rooms were next to each other, so we could access them quickly. Mia and Lissa came into my room to help me undress and change into my silk nightgown. After they left, I lay in bed looking at the short ceiling. But just as I was about to fall asleep, there was a light knock on my door. I grumbled to myself, getting up slowly, and opening the door. It surprised me that standing in front of me was none other then Dimitri Belikov.

"I just wanted to bid you a goodnight, Rose," he consoled, his face set in a serious expression.

How gentlemanly of him, I thought.

"A goodnight to you as well, Dimitri," I nodded. "Will we be leaving in the morning?"

"Yes. I have arranged for your ladies to wake you up at precisely nine in the morning, if that is alright with you."

"That is fine," I replied solemnly.

Without saying another word, he bent down and kissed me on the cheek. I didn't have time to react, because I was frozen in place at that moment. The kiss burned on my cheek, spreading fiery flames through my veins. I did not know why I got that feeling, but I was guessing it was fairly normal for me.

He left after the short kiss to his room. I stood in the doorway, feeling like a complete idiot just standing there. I blushed furiously and dove back into bed.

I didn't sleep much that night. I only stayed up thinking about my future with Dimitri. What it would be like. Would I fit into his family? Probably not. I wouldn't give anymore then I was already. I promised myself that I wouldn't act my worst, but be myself. If they would accept me, the would accept me for who I really was. Even though I was against this marriage, I gave up in arguing already. But all I knew was that Dimitri Belikov and I would only be man and wife, nothing else. There would be peace and honor between our two countries, and we shall both be known for that.

I loved my family dearly, and I would never want to let them down. But how about my opinion? I still think that arranged marriages are bullshit and never end up well. Maybe if I had had some time to actually fall in love with Dimitri, then I would have. And he would think of actually giving me a ring instead of our families arranging it. I wanted a simple marriage, no strings attached.

The next day, we set out for the docks once again. We all separated into our carriages, but this time Lissa and Christian went with Mia, Eddie, Sydney, and Adrian, leaving Dimitri and I alone in the carriage. Great. Just great. We were a bit awkward at first, but then Dimitri decided to spark up some conversation.

"What is Turkey like?" he asked.

I motioned out the window like it was no big deal.

"Look outside and find out yourself," I said almost too harshly. I shook it away and apologized. "I'm sorry. Mornings make me quiet rude."

He smirked and placed his hands on the velvet cushions. "That is alright. It was a rhetorical question anyways. Turkey is a beautiful land, compared to my country."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "What is your country like?"

"Russia is not what you would imagine. It is large, yes, but if you've lived there twenty-four years, as I have, you'll learn to get quiet bored of it."

"I am convinced it is an exotic and prepossessing country. I am just glad that I finally get to go somewhere out of Turkey. I have never left Turkey since the day I was born," I said proudly.

"Really?" he asked. "Well then I am honored to accompany you to my homeland."

I gave him a small smile then looked away. I felt his stare going through my skin, as if it were engraving my flesh.

"Roza, may I ask you something?" he suddenly questioned.

I nodded in response. "You may."

"You are not that happy about our arranged marriage, no?"

I bit my lip and averted my eyes. What would I tell him? Yes, I don't want to marry you. And no, I don't want it to be forced against my will.

"Why do you ask?" I say instead.

"Because you seem of it. You act as if you are holding your true self back. I understand that you had no decision in our engagement. And I am truly sorry about that."

"It is none of your concern, honestly," I said solidly. "I never wanted an arranged marriage, I think it is shallow and rude how people force a man and woman to marry against their will. I want to fall in love by my own. I don't believe in 'arranged love'. But it seems like I have no choice, now do I? I am willing to do this for my country, and for my father. But I just wish that I had to do anything_ but_ get married."

He saw the pain in my eyes and leaned forward to press his hand to my cheek. His touch was warm and I leaned into it. It comforted me.

"I understand completely, Roza," he consoled. "But I hope at least I'll get to know you better. I understand if you do not want love in this marriage, but we cannot know if it will be forced. I am sorry that I can't undo this agreement between our two countries."

His words were sweet and kind. It surprised me that he understood me perfectly. He still had a long shot, but he was getting there.

"How about you?" I asked. "Do you want this marriage?"

He sighed. "We both think alike. I do not agree with forcing because it is invading oneself. But what else shall I do? I have to think about my country before myself, since that is what my grandmother says. I am to be King in a matter of months, and I will need a Queen by my side. My family would like for me to put as much effort I can in this marriage, so that you and I will end up happy."

It shocked me that we were so open to each other, even if we had only met a set of hours ago.

We talked for hours more and hours to come until Eddie stepped out of his carriage and told the rest to stop their horses. I looked out the small window and realized we were at the dock. It wasn't very busy, but it wasn't empty. There were children running around and farmers selling fish near some of the abandoned stores on the far side.. Eddie opened our carriage door slowly as Dimitri got out first. Then, he turned around to help me out. I reluctantly took his offered hand and hopped off the little step to the ground.

I took a moment to stretch and yawn until I finally looked at my surroundings. Three ships were docked and some people from the palace were readying them, throwing rope around and loading food and all the things we needed. Both my ladies came to my side as I started to walk around the enormous dock. Eddie explained that the people who were preparing the ship would need five more minutes until we boarded the ship. So Lissa, Mia, and I explored a little part of the dock until he called us back to enter. The ships were gigantic. All three were docked beside one another. The middle one, by far, was the biggest. It was plain white, with some black and a streak of gold. The other two were plain black, but still very beautiful. Now that I was close enough, I saw two more ships in the back, fairly small, made of plain wood.

Dimitri caught up with us once again and told me that we would be traveling in the biggest ship along with Lissa, Mia, Eddie, Christian, Adrian, and Sydney. The other four ships would be inhabited by Russian guards.

So we started off and I stayed out in the forecastle deck, looking down at the water as we cut through it, causing rapid waves to form. I lifted my head so I was looking at the mysterious distance. In some amount of weeks, we would be in Russia, my new country. It made me nervous a bit that I would have to re-adjust, but Dimitri had told me that I just had to be myself. But of course, being myself would cause a racket. It some part of our long and deep conversation, I had too agreed that I'd want the best out of this marriage. I wanted to be happy for the rest of my life. But still, nothing felt right. Life happiness being arranged? Now that was a bunch of shit.

I looked away from the water and back at the deck. Lissa and Christian were in an eager conversation with her smiling happily every few seconds. It was like she was a doll, and she couldn't keep her happiness back. I was happy for her. From here, she looked very into Christian. I wanted the best for Lissa, because she was like a sister to me. And if the best meant Christian, Dimitri's servant, then I was happy to apply.

Mia and Eddie were also in a flirtatious situation, but I wasn't surprised. Mia and Eddie had been in love with each other ever since Mia came to be my lady. It was love at first sight, and nobody could deny it. It all started a mere three years ago, when we were all fifteen. Mia was just a commoner of Turkey, selling her family's goods to earn money for her and her family. She was just like I; she had no mother, and lived with her father. Mia would come to the palace every week to pay respects to the royal family. I remember seeing her with offerings and presenting them to my father. But the day came when Mia's father grew sick, and died unexpectedly. But before he died, she came to my father again, offering him all her money to tell her her father would live. Father thought she was a sweet girl, and caring if she loved her father that much. So he didn't take her money but offered her to work at the palace. She eagerly accepted and brought her father to live at the palace as well, where he had urgent treatment. But unfortunately, the immunity did not work and he died. Mia weeped for months, but at least she had a new family to take care of her. It was there she met Eddie, whilst exploring the palace, her new home. It is such a story to tell, and it even made me wish that I could have fallen in love that way.

I walked away from the front of the ship and started to make my way over to Adrian. He was leaning against the ship's railings, smoking through his pipe while holding a clear glass bottle of rum.

"Hello, little sister," he said, taking a swig of his drink. "How can I be of pleasure?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing, brother dearest. Where is Sydney?"

"She is in our quarters, sleeping," he explained. "Though I have no idea why, she has just woken up a few hours ago."

I shrugged. "Maybe she is seasick. Who knows? Anyways, have you seen Dimitri?" A lot was on my mind and I really wanted to talk to him. Huh, who knew he was already becoming my therapist.

He lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "Getting a little too excited to be in his pants, eh? Well I'm not sure, but be careful because we don't want a whole boatload of littles ones before we arrive in Russia. What would Queen Olena think? Sex before marriage? You truly are a wild one, Rose."

I smacked his arm as hard as I could, my face turning red. How dare he think that! I wasn't planning to sleep nor fall in love with this man. And having children gave me shivers. Why would I want children when I had so much going on in my mind.

"Quiet, are we?" Adrian remarked, still smiling foolishly. "Now that I think about it, I seem to have seen him walking to his quarters..."

I gave him a final glare before walking away. I searched for the stairs to the lower part of the ship, which held all our quarters. Just then, a warm hand came across my shoulder. I swiveled around, thinking it was Dimitri, but my thought was false. Instead, in his place was a rather good-looking scout with reddish hair and striking blue eyes. He was tall and his features were electric and handsome.

"I am sorry, your majesty," he said, recoiling a bit. "I did not know it it was you."

"And who are you?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

He bowed slightly then straightened up. "I am Mason Ashford. Head of the Royal Guard in Russia. It is a pleasure to be of service to you, Princess Rosemarie."

"There is no need to bow," I shook my head. "No formalities. No titles, please. I would like to be called Rose, if that is okay with you."

He nodded and gave me a half-smile. "That is more then fine with me. Do you need help finding something?"

"Yes, indeed I do," I answered. "Will you show me to Dimitri's room? I would like to speak with him."

"Actually," Mason started, "he is in a meeting with the captain in the headroom of the ship. The captain would like to show his majesty the quickest route back to Russia. But he should be out soon."

I nodded and let out a long breath I had been holding. "Well regards to you, Mason, and thank you."

Before I turned to leave, he caught my arm.

"Wait, would you like me to show you around the ship?" he suggested.

I smiled. I had all the time in the world left. We started to walk back up to the deck and Mason showed me the rooms and quarters of the ship. We laughed and made jokes a lot about the funny looking sailers and how they would end up. It was hilarious, and Mason was on the verge to being a very good friend. I hadn't laughed ever since father had announced my engagement. My stomach was starting to grumble so Mason offered to show me to the galley. I accepted eagerly because I was really hungry and was craving something sweet.

The chef made some Russian black bread for me, and I had to say it was really good. I smeared it with some butter and added a tad of sugar to sweeten it up. It was almost nighttime so Mason showed me back to my room. We said our goodbyes and I entered my quarters.

Mason was a sweet guy, but I didn't see him anything more then a friend. He was practically my dearest friend, and I felt like I could open up to him. We had gone past formalities and titles, so we were very casual. Having a friend by my side was nice.

Lissa and Mia came in to run a bath for me and help me change into my nightgown. I soaked all my pores and aching muscles in the hot, steamy water, wishing I could stay like that forever. But unfortunately, there was a small knock on my door, and Mia helped me out of the bath. I sighed and changed into my nightgown as Lissa opened the door.

It was Dimitri, of course, probably to bid me a goodnight again. I sat on my bed and grabbed my porcelain comb and brushed my hair as Dimitri made his way over to me. He looked very tired, and purple circles were forming under his eyes.

"Captain Ashford informed me that you were searching for me," he murmured softly.

Oh, I had completely forgotten about that. I decided to make something up instead.

"You are tired," I stated, patting the spot on the bed beside me. "Sit."

He accepted gratefully and took off his combat boots before sitting on the bed beside me. He rubbed his temples tiredly and closed his eyes. I looked up at my ladies who were in the corner of my room and motioned for them to leave. They nodded then gave me a 'good luck' smile before closing my door tightly.

I put the comb on the nightstand beside me and on my side back to Dimitri. His eyes were still closed, but his breathing was too rigid for him to be sleeping.

"Why are you tired so?" I asked.

"It is nothing," he explained.

He opened is eyes and met mine. My heart pace quickened and a shiver went down my spine. I blinked quickly and put my hand gently on his shoulder, pushing him down so his head was on the soft pillows.

He looked up at me with wonder and I gave him a wry smile.

"I am sorry I have not seen you for most of the day," he apologized.

"There is no need to apologize," I interrupted quietly. "You are very sleepy, it is _very_ obvious. Tell me why."

He hesitated before saying, "I could not sleep last night, that is all. And I had to organize many things in the ship and sent a messenger ship to my family to inform them that we have just left Turkey."

We were both silent for a minute, before I looked away from him and at the oil lamp across the room.

"Sleep," I ordered.

He started to protest but I hushed him. "You need your rest."

He gave me one final look and nodded slowly. I reached over and kissed his cheek lightly before blowing out the oil lamp beside me. I could still see his outline in the space beside me in the dark. I brought the sheets around us because it was getting quiet cold and laid my head on the pillows. He was facing my way, so I turned around so I was the opposite way.

I lay awake for who knows how many minutes until I finally heard Dimitri's rigid breaths turn into stable ones. I tried to go to sleep, but something held me back. Probably the fact that a Russian god was sleeping in the same bed as I. I shifted around until I found a decent position facing Dimitri. My vision fitted into the dark, so I stared at him without saying a word.

My breathing turned unsteady and varied when I was inhaling. As I stared at Dimitri, I realized something about him. I didn't remember what because sleep overcame me quickly.

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**C I told u it waz sweet! Anyways, next chapter will be up sometime next week. Toria (Victoria) and Nesi (Vanessa) are staying over all next week and so is Katerina so BFFs reunited! Ahahaha. Toria and Nesi have break next week so they cud stay at home while me and Katerina r at the highschool and they cud start on the chapter! Yay! Okay, haha, please REVIEW and we'll thank u in the next chapter! LOVE U GUYZES!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Its all four of us BACK! We just wanted to thank all our reviewers because your the people that encourage us to write more! This is quiet a long chapter, YAY! And also, there was a request for Dimitri's POV so we will probably do it in the next chapter. And also, please cut us some slack! I know some of the words weren't used back then, but really, we can't write in Shakespeare terms or anything! We're only in the NINTH grade! **

**Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. It might be a bit confusing, but we'll explain it down there! R&R!**

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Chapter 3

I woke up to the sound of whispering in my room. I opened one of my eyelids and peaked around the room. Lissa and Mia were standing in the corner with a big smile on their face. Their smiles were electric and teasing? Why were they smiling? Just as I was about to get up and ask them, a pair of strong arms tightened their grasp around me. I opened both my eyes and realized I was tucked into Dimitri's chest like a handkerchief. His hold on me was strong and I couldn't get out. Damn it. We must have been moving around last night.

Carefully, I tried to slide underneath his grasp, trying not to awaken him, and failed miserably. He made a sound and opened his eyes fully. He stared down at me with questioning eyes and suddenly realized his grip on me. He released me and we both shrunk back to the far ends of the bed. Lissa and Mia burst out laughing. I sat up and gave them my famous death glare to make them shut their mouths. They obeyed but still had cocky grins on their faces. Dimitri sensed the tension in the room and stood up, lacing his boots back to his feet.

"Sorry about last night," Dimitri apologized, his face dead serious. Lissa let out a small choke of laughter. They must have miscomprehended his statement. Whilst Dimitri was referring to him sleeping and not going back to his quarters, Lissa and Mia probably thought that we had made love accidentally. I shoved the thought out of my mind and faced Dimitri.

"No need to apologize," was all I said. Dimitri nodded once at me then at my ladies and left the room. Lissa and Mia immediately burst out laughing. I rolled my eyes at them.

"It is not what you think," I explained. "He was tired, and I did not want to make him walk all the way to his chamber. I offered to let him rest here, and he agreed. That was all."

"Are you sure, Rose?" Lissa teased. "You didn't have any _fun_ last night?"

"I mean, he is your soon-to-be husband," Mia commented, smirking at me.

I clenched my teeth. "Even if he was my husband, I don't have any plans to love him, nor sleep with him. My only intention is to be happy, and I do not need love to be happy."

Lissa's cocky grin was now turned into a half-smile. Mia nodded her head quietly, a flat smirk still on the corner of her mouth. I gave up in convincing them. What was the point? I certainly did not see one.

"Enough of this," I demanded, standing up and making my way over to where they were standing. "Lissa, please tell everyone I will be at breakfast in an hour, and they may eat without me. I need some time to clear my head. I have a feeling a migraine is on its way."

And it was true, there was an aching part of my head that brought jolts of pain whenever I moved it or thought about much. I had been thinking about things to often, and it crammed inside my head like there was no more space to breath. Of course, it only brought more unbearable pain.

"Would you like me to call the doctors?" Lissa asked, clearly worried.

I shook my head. "I will handle it on my own, Lissa. But thank you. You and Mia are excused to roam the ship as you like."

Mia and Lissa thanked me gratefully and told me that they would come back to check up on me. I waited until they left, then locked the door and plopped onto my big, comfy bed. I leaned my head all the way down so I wasn't putting much weight on it. I closed my eyes and let out a long, relaxing breath. I was finally at peace, and there was nobody in the room to distract me. No sound. No ruckus. Everything was quiet. I felt my senses wash away from my surroundings, and I was finally in a deep, peaceful sleep. The aching in the back of my head was no longer a distraction to me as I slept on and on.

It felt like forever until I finally woke up. It was to a rapping on my door, and I could wearily hear the sound of shouting from the other side of it. I shot up immediately and was across the room in a flash. I unlocked the latch and let the door swing open with one motion. There standing in front of me was Mason, Lissa, Adrian, Sydney, Mia, Eddie, and Dimitri. I looked at them, obviously confused. They had urgent looks on their faces and quiet cautious, too. I knew all too well that something was wrong.

"Is something the matter?" I asked, leaning on the doorframe for support. I was still woozy from my nap.

Everyone calmed down once they saw me. I tilted my head at them and lifted my eyebrows.

"Thank the Lord you are okay, Rose," Lissa said, pulling me in for a tight hug. I hugged her back with a strange expression on my face. I mean it wasn't that I hated hugging Lissa (I actually loved hugging Lissa), but the problem was I had no clue _why_ she was hugging me. A moment later, she pulled away, but still her hands clutching my forearms.

"Why...?" I drifted off.

"We thought something happened to you, Rose," Adrian told me with a dead serious tone.

"What...?"

"Honestly, what were you thinking locking the door?" Mia exasperated.

Sydney just shook her head. "We had a theory you were dead."

"But I-

I was cut off by Eddie. "You could have told your ladies if you were feeling unwell, and let them call the ship doctors."

Realization soon hit me like a crossbow arrow. I had remembered that I had locked the door before I had fallen asleep. And ever before that, I was having a painful sensation on the back of my head. Shit.

"What time is it?" I asked out of the blue.

"It is almost sunset. You were asleep for most of the day," Mason replied.

Double shit. They had thought I was dead because I was in a deep sleep and my door was latched up so they could not get in. Well on the bright side, my migraine was gone.

Adrian brought me out of my thoughts by huffing, "Lissa and Mia came to breakfast informing us that you were still in your chambers and would take an hour alone. But an hour turned into two, and that doubled, Rose. We all got worried. Hell, then Lissa and Mia went down to check up on you and found your door locked? They screamed and yelled for you and told us so quickly, we practically saved our last breath running to your chamber. You know what we thought, Rose? We thought you were dead. We thought that little headache could have turned into more, completely paralyzing your body. Honestly, for fucking sake, what the hell were you thinking?"

This was the angriest I had seen of Adrian. The veins on his forehead were sticking out and he was fuming with rage. Steam was shooting out of his ears and he had his fists clenched into perfect balls. I had to admit, I was quiet scared. Adrian was usually the fun-loving, teasing, and joking person that didn't seem to be angry at anything, but apparently his shell had broken. It hurt to have been yelled by him, and I found tears coming out of my eyes quickly. I let out a small whimper but she shook his head and groaned.

"Don't think you can just cry and get away with it, Rose," he spat at me. I sniffed quietly as he turned on his heels and grasped Sydney's hand as he strode away. I looked around at everyone, but they were all silent. I then realized Dimitri's presence. What did he think about this whole thing? He wasn't looking at me, but at the ground with a serious mask on his face.

It took me awhile to realize I was still crying. Hot tears fell down my cheeks slowly and dripped off my cheek, making a small puddle on the ground. Lissa came over to me and gave me light pat. I shock her off and shook my head. She recoiled quickly and nodded her head in understandment. She sensed that I needed some space, and accepted that gratefully. She looked at Mia and Mia also nodded. Mia then whispered something into Eddie's ear and they left out the door.

Lissa patted my back and whispered, "It is okay, Rose. It was just a small scare, that was all. Adrian will soon realize how hard he was on you, and he'll apologize. Do not fret." With that, she left following Eddie and Mia.

That left me with only Dimitri in the room. I peaked at him from the rim of my eyes and found he was staring at me intensely. I looked down quickly and sighed. I had a feeling he was going to be yelling at me, too.

It surprised me that he stayed quiet the whole entire time. I couldn't take the tension anymore, so I was the first one to say something.

"Shouldn't you be giving me crap as well?" I muttered. I had never used my foul language in front of anybody royal, except for Adrian. He did not mind at all, and neither did Dimitri.

"Roza," he started. The name soothed me, and the way he said it was quiet relaxing. I closed my eyes for a second then reopened them, meeting his soft brown eyes.

"Why would I yell at you, when I see how people you have on your case right now?" he continued. "Sure, what you did was a tad stupid and out of reasoning, but you are young and free to make mistakes. I was very worried, yes. But I'm not going to yell at you because I know you'll learn from your mistakes."

His words touched a dark part of me. I was stupid in this situation, but everyone was so hard on me, it was almost impossible to withstand it. I was young, only eighteen, and people expected me to be mature and confident. But I still made mistakes in my life, and how could I learn from them when the people I know and love cover me with a blanket of shame ? Dimitri understood me completely; I was a minor who was still learning about life itself.

"It amazes me how much you understand me," I whispered. "I am a princess, but nobody asked me if I wanted to be so. I was born it, so I shall be it. But princesses can make mistakes, too. I know how foolish I was locking the door, but people must trust me. I know myself the best, and I am nobody's princess. I am my own self, not a baby sister, not a coward, but I am Rosemarie Catherine Mazur."

I felt quiet satisfied when I finished my speech. I finished with strong words, and how could I possibly say that I had thought up those words from the tip of my mind? Dimitri looked at my proudly and gave me a nod.

"Adrian was just very worried," Dimitri commented, taking a step forward. "You are his sister, and what dread would come upon him if he thought his sister was dead. He was protecting you, Rose. I can see it the relations between both of you. You two love each other and are inseparable. So do not be angry at him."

I sighed out in frustration and leaned my head back. "I have never seen Adrian like so. He does use foul language, but he does not use it _at _me, only _with_ me. It was quiet scary seeing my step-brother like that."

"I am sure he has realized his mistakes," Dimitri intercepted.

"I really hope so," I muttered under my cold breath. "I feel that migraine coming up on me again." I felt a tad bit woozy so I went to my bed and sat down. Dimitri followed me soon with a worried expression.

"Maybe we should see the doctor," he suggested. "She'll give you something to ease the pain, perhaps."

I shook my head, rubbing circles on my forehead. "I am alright. I just slept too much, I think."

Dimitri put his hand on the small of my back and rubbed it gently. "Roza, I honestly think you should go see the doctor. I will escort you myself and I will wait until she is done with you."

After a few moments of hesitation, I nodded slowly and stood up with his support. I felt a bit awkward leaning on him the whole entire trip to the medical quarters, but either then that I was completely unaware of the people around me. I felt a tad bit weak and my eyelids were drooping down as if I needed even more sleep. I shivered slightly as we arrived at the top of the deck and a rush of cold air whipped through me. Dimitri brought me closer to him and covered me with the warmth of his brown leather duster.

I was glad once we reached the doctor's quarters. It was a small, petite room with a single bed in the corner along with two wooden chairs on the side. How charming. Dimitri called out in Russian and a reply answered. A young lady, maybe in her early thirties, came out from a room connecting to this once and spoke a few more words. Dimitri motioned towards me and they continued with their conversation. I heard my name a few times in Russian, then the lady smiled and walked over to me.

"Hello, Princess," she greeted "I am Dr. Olendzki. Prince Dimka has informed me that you have been having headaches?"

I nodded my head as Dimitri helped me sit down on the bed, letting me keep on his warm duster. "I have. It started this morning. I slept most of the day then woke up feeling a bit better, but then it came back twice as painful."

Dr. Olendzki nodded and asked, "Have you had any more symptoms?"

"Perhaps," I told her. "I feel quiet weak and unstable and I cannot think strait. And I feel very nauseous at times."

She clicked her tongue and sighed, "Well, Princess, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

I nodded.

"Are you sexually active and when was your last menstrual cycle?"

I winced back in horror. What the fuck? Did she actually think I was pregnant? I had not even slept with a man in my whole entire life and now she thought I would wind up pregnant?

"I am not pregnant," I stated, clenching my teeth.

She shrugged. "You cannot be positive, Pri-

"I am not pregnant," I repeated again, my eyes glued firmly to her. Dimitri placed a calming hand on my shoulder and I shook it off. I was no longer in the mood for cheering up.

"But Princess," she said, "You and Prince Dimka could be expecting a child."

"God's sake!" I burst out, fuming. "I have never slept with him, or any man at this matter, and I guarantee you I never will. I am not pregnant, I never _will _be, and I'm just having simple headaches!"

My cheeks were red with rage and my head was aching even more. I was yelling with so much force, it was pushing on my brain too much. Dimitri was standing there quietly, a bit unknown to why he was here. I could tell all three of us were quiet embarrassed.

"I am terribly sorry, Princess," Dr. Olendzki whispered, afraid that I would be bursting out again. "That is good you are not sexually active though, the Queen does not approve of making love before marriage. I am sorry again. I will give you some herbs and mixings to help your headaches. And perhaps I will mix something together for you to drink daily."

My nerves calmed down a bit. Phew, at least we were off that particular subject. Dr. Olendzki bowed shortly then left to the other room. Dimitri and I were quiet and doubtful of ourselves. We did not talk because what I said was not appropriate. I practically said that I would never care for him, and I would never consider doing anything. My feelings were all over the place right now. How I wish that I could take a peak inside his mind and read his every thought. I guess I did care for Dimitri in a way. He was the only person who actually got me, besides Lissa and Mia. But then again, they did not know what I was going through.

I did not love Dimitri, that was for sure. He was a gentleman, and everything a girl would dream of. But my dream for him was shattered a long time ago, even before I had met him.

Dr. Olendzki came out a minute later with a small satchel of herbs and a jar of some clear liquid with bubbles. She held up the satchel first and directed, "Grab a little stem and let it rest in your tea everyday. Eventually the inside will break up and mix into the hot tea." She handed Dimitri the satchel and held the jar for me to take. "That is my potion for you, Princess. I mixed a series of herbs in there with boiled water. Take a tablespoon everyday to relieve the pain. Oh, and don't take these if you are feeling well, because you may be overdosed."

I nodded slowly and grabbed the jar of clear liquid and stood up, still a bit wobbly on my feet.

"If these do not work," she referred to the objects, "then see me as soon as possibly."

I nodded again and walked out the door with Dimitri by my side. We walked together silently back to my room. It was probably the longest walk I had ever taken. Once we finally arrived at my door, Dimitri muttered a few Russian words to himself, handed me the satchel, and left without another word. I looked at him as he rounded the corridor and left. I sighed out loud and went inside my room. My ladies were inside, along with a very guilty looking Sydney.

"I am sorry, Rose," she apologized sympathetically. "I have tried to talk to Adrian, but he would not listen. He is simply overwhelmed right now. I suggest giving him some time before he really thinks about this whole situation."

I went over to Sydney and gave her a small hug and a forced smile. "It is alright, Sydney. Thank you, though. For trying. I have a lot in my mind as well."

She placed a hand on my arm and looked me strait in the eyes. "I hope you get well, Rose. I will try talking to Adrian more."

I gave tugged the edges of my smile so it was a bite wider. "Do not sacrifice yourself, Sydney. I will talk to my brother when the time is right."

"If that is your decision," Sydney solemnized. She nodded at my ladies then at me, and left without another word. I put the jar and satchel down by my nightstand and stood there quietly as Lissa and Mia observed me carefully.

"Are you well?" Lissa suddenly asked out of the blue.

I shrugged. "I cannot be sure. Dr. Olendzki has given me some medications."

"Perhaps you should stay in bed rest," Mia suggested. "You may still be ill."

I held up my hand for them to stop and they did so. "I am just peachy, ladies. Now please, run a bath for me. _Now._" I usually didn't go all 'princess' on them, because I just wasn't that person and Mia and Lissa were like sisters to me. but right now, I wasn't in the mood so it wasn't like I really had a choice.

Mia nodded and disappeared into the loo. Lissa stayed behind and told me, "A feast will be hosted tonight in the grand hall. Shall I lay out your dress?"

I shook my head. "I will do so myself. Thank you, Lissa. You may leave."

She curtseyed then left. Uh, I hated it when my ladies and servants curtseyed or bowed. It was very annoying. Lissa had already known that I did not approve of formalities, but when she sensed my mood, she did it anyways, afraid that I would snap at her. But I was not like that. I was ashamed of what people thought of me. Spoiled, mean, getting everything I wanted. But that was a lie. I was in control of myself, and that was the problem with my life. People did not see that.

A moment later, Mia came out of the bathroom and left without a single word. I looked after her in sympathy. I wish I hadn't been so rude to her. I sighed then took a short bath. I did not feel like going to the feast. I didn't even know this ship had a grand hall. I wrapped a silk robe around myself and went out my room. I chose a two piece maroon dress with a long skirt that was half blue. I let my hair fall in loose curls down my back before heading out. This was going to be a long night. Being in a room with my angry brother and Dimitri, well, that would take some work.

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**Ok guys. We just wanted to say the sickness that Rose experienced in this chapter MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be in the next chapter. I don't really know if it will be involved in this story. But anyways, what's going on between Rose and Dimitri? God, I'd love to do a Dimitri's POV on what he though to everything. :)**

**REVIEW AND GET A FREE CUPCAKE! HAHA, JUST KIDDING! OK FINE, I'LL TELL THE BIG BAD RUSSIAN TO KISS YOU! YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT! XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry! Exams were pretty much hell and I honestly don't know how I managed to write this chapter up. I haven't seen Katerina or the twins in a week or so 'cause were call studying and stuff. :) Anyways, here's pretty long chapter for you guys, and hopefully it will make up for our absence. I loved writing parts of this chapter, it's dramatic (no duh!), and kind of funny. Well, enjoy!**

**This is mostly written in Dimitri's POV, but somewhere in the middle there's a little RPOV, then back to DPOV. **

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Chapter 4

**DPOV**

Rose was a special and unique creature. It was as if she had two sides. She was very delicate, young, and fragile, but she was also quiet rough, strong, and not so much emotional. But there was something about her that made me want to stare at her endlessly. Rose was only eighteen, and yet she was already grown up. She knew all her loyalties and people, but I did not think she knew herself. She acted as if her true self was clogged inside that little body of hers, tearing to get out. I wanted to learn more about her, mostly because she was not like most of the girls I have ever met.

She is not into me, that is for sure. Rose does not believe in 'arranged love', and I agree with her. Love should not be forced. But still, I did not very much argue with the engagement. Rose was sweet, kind, caring, all those things. She had many problems in her mind, and I wanted to help her. It was as if it were my duty to guide her through it. That is why when Rose's ladies came barging into brunch telling us that Rose was locked up in her room worried me. Rose was an angel sent from heaven above, and I already felt like I had to protect her, just like a husband should.

Most people would have wanted Rose for her beauty. Not that she wasn't, because Rose's beauty was like a goddess's. The first time I looked at her, I thought about how many people would have been lucky enough to see her and her divine beauty. A whole castle of men could have been in line to marry her, but half of them wouldn't have even met her. They would only judge her by her beauty, and that was all. I, on the other hand, would like to discover her personality a bit until I officially close the deal. Rose's looks were nothing compared to the beauty of her soul, which I was yet to discover. She was beautiful. Darkish hair that fell down her back in big, loose curls. Sparkling brown eyes that could make a slave fall in ransom. And striking features like a goddess.

So it had hurt me a bit when Rose said that she would never consider loving me at Dr. Olendzki's quarters. It pained me that she would not even try. It had only been a mere few days since I had met her, and my feelings were already mixed. Rose wanted to get out of this marriage quickly, but I did not know how to tell her there was no backing out. I felt quiet bad for her, because she had wanted to fall in love by her own, as I did. But Rose had to understand that this was reality. I did not want to be rude or mean to her, mostly because she was as precious as a glass vase. Smash it to the floor and it breaks. If I tell her straight out that we will get married if she likes it or not will ruin everything. I did not want to do that to her.

I cared for Rose. How I wish that she would just stop pushing me away and let me in her mind. What I wanted most was for her to express about herself to me, so I could make this marriage more enjoyable. There did not have to be love, but there could be happiness.

I went into my quarters quickly after dropping off Rose in her room. I felt embarrassed after our conversation at Dr. Olendzki's, and I did not want her to see me go red. I slammed my door closed and leaned against it, pinching the bridge of my nose. Then I remembered that today was Sunday, and we still had the feast. Every Sunday, the royal family of Russia would hold a feast for the Sabbath day. It was to honor God and his people and all who died for our protection. I did not know if Turkey had such beliefs in God, but my family did. We were strong believers, and the royal Russian minister would always hold a sermon at the palace, which we would attend.

I dressed quickly in my formal white tunic and some black trousers with my usual pair of combat boots. I put my hair into a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck and adjusted my collar one last time before heading out again. I huffed a sigh as I made my way to the grand hall. Yes, this ship was big enough to hold a grand hall. It was quiet elegant, actually. We also had a small ballroom.

Once I arrived, I took my place at the head of the table. Rose would sit on my left, and her brother Adrian and his fiancee Sydney would sit on my right. Beside Rose would be Captain Ashford, and then Captain Castile from the Turkish guards.

I leaned back into my set, blinking my eyes every so often. When I saw her, I straightened up and clenched my jaw so it was set in a serious manner. She walked in wearing a revealing maroon and midnight blue dress. I closed my eyes shut and opened them again and she was still there, at the entrance to the grand hall. She was breathtakingly beautiful, it hurt me. She was like a rose, a perfect rose that never wilted.

She caught sight of me and made her way over in gentle, light steps. I motioned towards the cushioned chair on my left and she sat down on it gracefully. Everything she did touched me like ice and made my me flutter.

"Is my brother coming?" she asked in a small voice.

I nodded slowly. "I am sure he has forgotten everything, Roza. Just stay put." I loved calling her Roza. It felt like heaven every time the name rolled of my tongue. Roza...Roza...Roza.

We were both silent as we waited. I felt my eyes bore into her as she looked down at her petite fingers. How I wanted to reassure her that everything was okay. But in her mind, everything would be worse than hell.

Mason Ashford was the first one to arrive. He took his spot next to Rose and glanced at her curiously. He murmured a few words to her and she looked up at him with a smile, which surprised me from the mood she has been in lately. She spoke something in a low tone, to low for me to hear. Captain Ashford nodded and they were soon engulfed in a happy conversation.

Something big hit me. Seeing Rose and Ashford talking like good friends struck a nerve in my system. A pang of something inevitable hit me like a whip. My first thought was jealously, which would make sense. I was beginning to have feelings for Rose, no doubt, and seeing Captain Ashford adore her made me quiet mad. But what could I do? Maybe Rose was falling in love with Mason Ashford. I could not stop her happiness. I hadn't seen Rose smile very often, and it seemed as if Ashford was the only one that could make her. I wanted the best for Rose, and I cared about her.

So I waited, ignoring the conversation Rose and Mason were eagerly engaged in. I waited patiently, until Eddie Castile, Sydney, and Adrian came. Adrian had a flat expression on his face, clearly not pleased at all. I was fearful for Rose, because I did not know what was coming. She was hiding her face from Adrian when he took his seat to my left. Sydney placed her hand on Adrian's and he let out a big, frustrated huff. Lissa and Mia entered the hall and stood by the entrance. The servants came out and served us a bowl of soup before the main course. Sydney muttered a few words to him and he nodded. Rose sipped her soap quietly when Adrian looked up at her.

"Rose," he grumbled unpleasantly, "I'd like to speak with you on the deck."

I met Rose's pleading eyes as she stood up and followed Adrian outside. Even after she left, I remembered the look she had on her face. A look of fear. She was scared, and she didn't know what was coming her way. I definitely did not want to see Roza in tears, or else hell would overcome me.

It happened too quickly, like a blink of an eye. Adrian had come back to the table, but not with Rose. I did not want to ask, so I left the grand hall with Sydney shaking her head rapidly at Adrian and yelling at him.

I rushed to the lower deck, straight to Rose's room. I knocked quietly but she didn't answer. Emotions ran through me quickly, and my heart was beating fast. I knocked again. Nothing. Without thinking, I opened the door, finding it unlocked, and rushed inside. Rose was huddled on the corner of her bed, crying. I didn't say anything, because I didn't want to ruin the moment. I walked over to her cautiously and pulled her into my arms. She didn't do anything else but weep, and I held her carefully, as if she might break. She buried her head into my chest and I held her tightly. My tunic was getting wet, and I could feel it, but I didn't care. I rubbed small circles on her back to sooth her.

I looked down at her and a cold feeling ran through me. I didn't care that she didn't say anything. I didn't care that she was in my arms, even if it were wrong.

All I knew was, there was something about Rose that struck me, and I had no words to describe it.

**RPOV**

Being in Dimitri's arms, I felt safe. He held me tightly and I continued to sob into his chest. He did not say anything, and I appreciated that. I didn't care about the awkwardness we had experienced earlier. I just wanted to cry my heart out.

_*Flashback*_

_I followed Adrian out of the grand hall, shaking slightly. My skin was cold as he stopped and turned to me. His expression was settle, but it still made me shiver._

_"You make me sound like a monster," he said through clenched teeth. "Everybody has been coming up to me, saying to forgive you and that I should be ashamed of myself. _You _started this Rose, _you _fix it. Sydney even had to lecture me until I finally felt bad for yelling at you, Rose! I can't believe the person I have become, that _you _have turned me into! I never yell or burn with anger, and you should know that! I am disgusted by myself. What the hell happened to me?"_

_I was shocked. He was angry at me, because of the person he had become. I had so much to argue about, because I was fuming as well._

_"You are so protective, Adrian!" I yelled at him. "I am my own person, and I am sick and tired of telling people to back off and stop blaming me! Bloody hell Adrian! It is not all about you. I did not turn you into the person you have become, that was all you!"_

_"Just shut up!" Adrian roared. "You are such a baby, Rose. when will you ever grow up and learn that this real! Nothing is a fantasy, so just face it! Your so depending on everybody else. No wonder nobody loves you."_

_I recoiled, my face blank. Adrian, as much as he was annoying, never talked to me like this. I was in complete shock, that I didn't feel the hot tears that were running down my face. MY feet carried me away from the scene, and I heard Adrian's voice fade shouting, "Rose! Come back! I didn't mean it like that!"_

_*End of Flashback*_

I was still crying from the memory, but it had subsided a bit. My weeping was now reduced to whimpering. Dimitri clutched me closer and muttered a few calming words to me. I clutched his tunic desperately, as the last tear fell from my face.

We were both quiet as he just held me in his arms. It comforted me that he was right here, right now, and just for me. The whole talk between Adrian and I shunned me. He was always so calm and only criticized me through teasing. Seeing this new side of him burned inside me like flames, bursting and spreading through tears.

Once my crying at stopped, I shifted in Dimitri's arms uncomfortably. He sensed me uneasiness and loosened his grip on me so I could squiggle away.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Dimitri said quietly, his thick Russian accent tormenting his words.

I hesitated before shaking my head. I did not want to talk to anybody at this moment. I just wanted to be alone, for from any living existence in the universe. I wanted to be in my own world, where everybody didn't mind what I did or say.

"I would like to remain solitary until the morrow," I said, looking at my hands.

He nodded then stood up. "I will arrange for your ladies to bring some food for you."

"No!" I said, almost too quickly. I did not want anybody asking anymore questions. I knew Lissa and Mia all too well to know that they would squeeze the truth out of me. I would usually tell them, but this situation was far from being told publicly.

Dimitri stopped in the midst of a step out of my room.

"You must eat, Roza," he emitted. "You have gone a day without food. At the least, let me bring you a bowl of Russian porridge."

I didn't say anything and only nodded. Dimitri gave me one last worried look before leaving. As soon as he was gone, I laid fully on the bed. I did not feel so tired, so I just lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling.

I suddenly remembered that I was still dressed in my formalwear, so I hopped back up and grabbed my nightgown, laying it carefully on the bed. I managed to get the petticoats off, until I finally shimmied out of the stubborn dress I had on. The dress I had chosen to wear was not very much like a ball gown, but it spilled out of the waistline like a fountain. Unfortunately, to my distaste, I had to wear petticoats for this dress. But not the ones the looked like complete horror, but a special made one so I did not look like a buffoon. I hated wearing dresses, especially since I had to wear a corset underneath. Men had it so easy, wearing their trousers and pantaloons like it didn't matter.

I struggled with the corset, mostly because it was the hardest to get off. It was hard getting it on as well, but I had learned enough to know how to put it on. But when I had to take it off, I always needed the assistance off Lissa and Mia. I fumbled with the tied knot in the back and swore to myself. And just as I was about to give up, the door opened.

**DPOV**

I didn't know my reaction when I saw Roza standing there. Both her hands were tightly gripping the knot on the back of her corset, clearly struggling to free it. She stood up straight and turned when I entered. And what a mistake that was, because now she was half naked, standing nearly seven feet away from me.

She was wearing her undergarments, with a pair of dark stalkings adorning her beautiful legs. Her dark, blood red corset wrapped tightly around her figure and skimmed the top length of her waist, starting just above mid-breast. Her hair was a bit messy, but it looked exotic and quiet wild.

She looked at me when I entered and gave me a small, sad smile. She didn't even bother to cover herself. What a girl she was!

"Would you like me to give you some time until you are finished undressing?" I asked uneasily.

She turned around again and shook her head. "It is quiet alright. I am not ashamed of anybody seeing me so publicly. Nor am I like some girls that cover themselves up and scream their heads off."

I gave her a slight laugh then stopped ever so quickly. She blinked her brown eyes twice and looked straight into mine knowingly. The way her hair fell over her face and curled at the edge of her pink, heart-shaped lip brought shivers down my spine. I got completely lost that I hadn't noticed that her expression had turned to curiosity over why I was staring at her. I shook my head and stepped forward, holding out the ceramic bowl of porridge.

She pointed her finger to the small, wooden table on the bedside. "If you'll be so kind as to place it over there, then I would be more then thrilled so I could get this stupid corset off me."

"Will you need some assistance in that?" I asked before I had even noticed it had left my mouth. Dear God, I certainly did not mean it sexually. I was trying to be a gentlemen, but apparently things took a turn for the worse. I bit my lip, hoping that she did not think of the opposite way. "I did not mean it like-

She cut me off with a broad smile, holding her hand up in front of her. "It is alright, sir. I know what you meant. And I would be very happy if you'd be a gentleman and untie the back for me."

Thank the Lord. She was smart enough to spot my mistake and ignore it like the lady she was. Rose wanted to drive me away from any mistakes I would make to embarrass myself.

"Of course, Roza." I muttered. I quickly placed the steaming hot bowl on the bedside table and made my way over to her.

She turned around slowly and pushed her long hair in front of her right shoulder, leaving the top of her back bare. I had to admit, I if I could, I would be blushing furiously.

I placed my shaking fingers on the tied knot on the back of her corset while she held her hair. I grabbed the silk ribbon and started to unknot it, ever so carefully. Once I managed to do so, I started to unlace the the ribbon from the metallic prongs. My fingers brushed against her bare back and I felt her tense.

"Sorry," I murmured. I continued to unlace the back until there was only two prongs left. I slowly unleashed the ribbon from the clasps and the corset lay free in the back, pealing down so it showed most of her back. Rose held it to sustain it from falling down and turned around.

"Thank you," she complied. "It really is a sucker to get off. I am the opposite of most people. I know how to lace it up, but I do not know how to free it."

I gave her a warming smile. "I will leave you so you may rest." I turned around to leave, but she caught my arm.

"Please," she said, "I have rested the whole day. Why don't you stay?"

"I don't know..." I said, unsure.

"Oh please. I do not feel like inviting my ladies in to talk. You have shown yourself by not being so aggressive of asking questions. Can you please stay for a little while? Perhaps until I grow the slightest bit tired?"

She looked up at me with irresistible eyes and I sighed in defeat. "As you say, Rose."

"Thank you, Dimitri," she said. "I will just change into my nightgown."

I nodded my head and turned around to give her privacy. I heard from behind me the ruffling of her clothing as she took off her corset and slipped on her nightgown.

"You may look now," she said with a joking tone in her voice. I turned around as she sat down in the middle of the bed, patting the spot next to her. I obeyed and sat slightly next to her.

"So," she started, grabbing the bowl of porridge from the table and mixing it slowly, "What is life like in Russia? I ought to know, since I will be living there soon enough."

"It's simple, actually." I said. "I am sure our countries have both adapted some things from one another. My family always likes to stay together, so we always have every coursing meal together. My sisters and I are very close, and I am sure that you will love Viktoria."

"What is she like?" Rose asked me.

I smiled wryly. "Well, she's very outgoing and self-confident. She speaks her mind, which sometimes gets quiet annoying, but still. She is my dear little sister."

Rose smiled lightly at that. "I cannot wait to meet her then."

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I did not stay with her that night. Somehow in the middle of my sentence, she had fallen into a deep slumber. I looked at her small figure and tucked the duvet around her. Before I left, I did something that was out of my mind. I leaned down and kissed her head hesitantly and pulled away quickly. I was in complete shock that I had just did that, so I left the room in a rush just to run into Rose's ladies.

"Is her majesty alright?" Mia asked, worry lines forming on her forehead.

I nodded. "She is sleeping soundly. I suggest not to question her about the situation. I am not sure she is ready to tell us. She will let it out on her own time."

"Well we are glad she is fine." Lissa said. "Prince Adrian feels awful. After you left, Sydney started giving him a taste of his own medicine! It was horror. His majesty declared an end to the feast and he stormed out with a blank expression. Mia swore she heard weeping shortly after. Adrian has not come out of his room ever since."

"Well let's just hope both of them realize their matters and come together soon enough. It's looks as if Rose and Adrian were pretty close," I said.

Lissa nodded. "They are! Even though they are only half-siblings, they treat each other best friends."

I raised my eyebrow. Half-siblings?

"Half-siblings?" I echoed my mind.

Mia nodded. "Rose does not like to talk about it, and neither does anyone in the family. Queen Daniella is not Rose's real mother. Her real mother died in childbirth, poor thing. So his royal majesty King Abraham remarried the Queen, who already had Prince Adrian."

Something shook inside me. The thought of Rose going through all this pained me. Adrian was the only family that she enjoyed her life with, while her father and step-mother ruled the kingdom. Her biological mother had died before Rose took her first look at the world. Adrian was the only thing she had to lean on, and now they were both stuck in this horrid situation that put them both on opposite sides.

"I shall talk to him," I blurted out.

The ladies widened their eyes before straightening up their faces.

"I do not think that is wise, Prince," Lissa said with a flat expression. "If he will not listen to Sydney, I highly doubt he would listen to you. Not to be rude, your majesty."

"It is Dimitri. Please call me Dimitri from now on please." I said first. "And I cannot stand seeing these two loving siblings fighting over something unworthy. I will try to ease him. I will try, and if I don't succeed, then I will leave with the thought that I did the best I could."

"You are much independent and trustworthy, Pri-Dimitri," Lissa consoled. "I hope Rose finally realizes that one day."

With that, Lissa and Mia left. I stood there looking dumbfounded. _I hope Rose finally realizes that one day. _I shook my head and headed down the hall.

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**LOVED IT? LIKED IT? Review please! And I know this 'situation' between Rose and Adrian is confusing, but it all will be explained in the next chapter. Next chapter will probably be written half of DPOV and the other half RPOV.**

**And for information about our stories (when we will be updating, etc), go to our profile and check it out! UPDATING TIMES ARE POSTED!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Phew, good thing I made the deadline! If you looked at my profile, I promised that I would update Fridays. So yes, I made it just in time. Anyways, sorry about the two week intermission. I had to write this chapter alone. And I have a reasonable excuse! My exams were scheduled to start on Monday, but because of the short week (Thanksgiving and all), it was postponed and I've been crazy studying for Monday. :P I'm really exhausted and I don't even know how I wrote up this chapter! But I saw how many reviews you guys left (like 30!), so I forced myself to write this for you guys. Kat hasn't been over in a while, so I'm a loner in this. Well, I'll stop blabbing and let you read. :)**

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Chapter 5

**DPOV**

_Knock, knock, knock._

I straightened my tunic and looked boldly towards the door. Nobody answered. I knocked once again, but still nothing. Without thinking, I reached for the shiny brass knob and twisted it slowly to the side. It made a slight _click!_ as I pushed the door forward.

"Lord Mazur." I called out, surveying the empty room. There was nobody here, except a freshly made bed, a dusty table with a layer of dirt on it, and a tall wardrobe.

There was a feisty but silent growl coming from the bottom left corner of the room. I turned my head and discovered his majesty sitting on a weak, old-looking arm chair, slouching with his head in his shaking hands.

"Prince Adrian." I repeated with a sturdy voice. "May I have a word with you?"

He lifted his head of his hands briefly and looked at me with dark, looming eyes. There were light bags under his eyes, slightly noticeable. His face looked paler than usual and his lips were cracked and moving in a ghostly tone.

"With all due respect, Prince Belikov," he started flatly, "but I am not in the mood."

"Neither am I, Prince." I stated solemnly. "But I am still here asking for a moment to speak with you."

Adrian looked at me with bored eyes, as if he was looking through a translucent figure. He hesitated then nodded.

"Very well," he answered.

"It is about Rose." I told him. "And I know that you may say this is none of my business, but seeing this situation going on between you two is horrid. It is starting to overtake other people as well. "

"Oh yes, and now you may take sides with my dear sister," he spat out. "Yes, well that is intolerable, Belikov. I am clearly tired of people treating little Rose as a mere child. I have had enough of that."

"I do not take sides." I said firmly. "The only side I take is my own. And I have only known Rose for a short while, but I understand that she is tired of that, too. Being treated as a mere child. But something tells me that this is not the situation, Prince."

"Indeed it is not." Adrian grunted. "You are wise, Belikov. And observant, I see."

I cracked a low smile. "My instincts are strong, Mazur. I am an observer, a witness. Eyes are better then words, to I."

"As I," he replied. "I think I could trust you enough, shouldn't I? We are going to be brothers, so I may tell you my situation. Right?"

I nodded. "Of course. I will not speak to a soul about this."

Adrian let out a full sigh then leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes gently.

"Well, I found out when we boarded the ship," he started. "And I wasn't ready for such news. It was such a shock. But I guess I should have figured it out considering the signs were there-

"Prince Adrian?" I asked amusingly. "Do you mind starting from the beginning?"

He looked at me then nodded his head quickly. "Of course, of course. Pardon me. Well, more or less, it is about Sydney. It turns out she is with child. She's pregnant.

"The signs were all there, as I said before. Weeks before we boarded the ship, she started waking up in sweat and tears and soon was weeping all night long. Then there was the sickness she conquered. What's it called? Ah yes, morning sickness. She always had that. And she slept more than normally, almost until the noon.

"When she told me a few days ago, my first reaction was pure shock. I honestly didn't know what happened from there. I grew angry and I started avoiding Sydney. I was just not ready for a child, especially since it had been conceived before marriage, which brings shame upon our family.

"Of course, I do want the baby she is carrying, because it is mine. But I just don't know why I felt anger toward her. And I have been taking it out on Rose, because I know that she is strong and nothing will break her guard. But even the slightest tap was wrong. I've hurt Sydney, and I've hurt Rose. Every single time Sydney would come to me and try to bring my spirits up, I would disappoint her and yell at her. I do not know what has become of me, Belikov. I really don't."

I looked at him with sorrowful eyes. In a way, I understood Adrian. Problems kept piling up on him, and he was just confused. He was only a minor, as everyone was.

"You are just confused," I told him. "Everyone is going through something. Think about Rose. She must juggle many things on her plate. Forced into marriage, thinking she is hated by her only brother. Suppose you felt the anger toward Sydney at first because you were not ready for the news. But it has been days, and you are tired of it, no? Rose is, for sure. And I'm sure Sydney and the rest are as well. It is not up to me, but I think this should end, Prince. I honestly do."

He stroked a hand through his brown hair and sighed in defeat. "I think you are right, Belikov. I grew utterly bored of this fight. I want to talk to Rose again, and I want Sydney back." He paused then let out a big grin. "Ever thought of being a councilor, Belikov? You sure have the advice and patience for it. It surprises me that you could stay calm." Sarcasm was dripping from his voice, and he let out a hardy laugh. Slowly, he stood up from the chair and brushed off his coat. "I think I shall go find Sydney now. Then I'll stop by Rose's room and-

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. We both turned our heads and saw Sydney, looking very tired and worn out, underneath the doorframe.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, "but may I speak to Adrian?"

Adrian stood up and quietly walked over to her. Sydney cringed slightly, but was astonishingly surprised when Adrian lifted her up and hugged her tightly.

"Sydney...I love you, and I am truly sorry," he told her, kissing her forehead. "I can't wait for our baby to be born."

Sydney blinked her eyes twice and let out a flattered grin. "Why, I don't know what has come over you, Adrian. But, I can't wait either. I love you."

They gave each other more hugs and kisses when Adrian let Sydney down and turned to me with a bold grin.

"Thank you, Belikov." He consoled. "I'm going to Rose's room in a minute." He paused, then nodded his head slightly, looking very determined and serious. "Rose is lucky to have you. I hope she sees that one day."

And there it went again. My smile slowly faded as he and Sydney turned on their heels and left the room. _I hope she sees that one day. _I had heard that before from Lissa. Something about that sentence struck a nerve inside me. _I hope she sees that one day. _Did they not think that Rose saw me truly for who I was? Or did she see me as just a man that she was being forced to marry? Maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't. I believed that Rose would have let that 'arranged marriage' controversy slip from her head. I thought that we had both agreed to make the best out of our marriage, even if there was no love in it.

Maybe Rose thought wrong. There could be many thing going on in her head. She would deliberately find a way out of this marriage, or at least she thought she would.

Something inside me felt different about this situation. It wasn't that I was on her side anymore, because now I had a new perspective on things. Rose wanted to get out of this whole thing, but would I let her? Or was I just falling in love with her?

**RPOV**

"Rose." I heard a faint whisper in my ear. I groaned and turned on my side, throwing my arm over my face and squeezing my eyes closed tighter.

"There's someone here to see you, Rose. Get up now." The voice was sweet and gentle, almost mother-like. But I didn't care about sensitivity right now. I only cared about me and my sleep.

I heard a few low murmurs before a a warm hand was placed on my arm firmly. I jerked away and opened my angry eyes.

"What in good hell is your problem-

I was interrupted by my shock. I stopped mid-sentence and stared up at the swimming emerald green eyes, which were much too familiar.

"Adrian." I whispered in a hushed tone. "W-what are you doing here?"

I looked back at Sydney, who had a plastered grin on her face. She seemed...happy? Very happy indeed. Almost like she would jump out of her shoes any second.

"I came here to apologize, sister dearest," Adrian said, with that sarcastic know-it-all tone of his. Boy, it has been far too long since I've heard that.

I looked at him with questioning eyes. I was afraid to speak, knowing if I did, then I would probably ruin the moment.

"Well, here it goes." He licked his lips and bit his lip. "I'm sorry for all the things I have said to you, and I'm sure that I've made your a life living hell over the past few days. I hate myself for that, I know. And you probably do, too. But if you could please forgive me, sister, because I love you and I always will." These words left his mouth in one long stream, I could barely take it all in.

"Do you mind saying that again, except slower?" I asked.

He smiled then nodded, starting from the beginning. He explained to me everything, from the events ever since we had boarded the ship. And Sydney was pregnant! Much joy came to me, knowing that I would soon be an aunt. He apologized for how he had acted towards me, and I freely accepted them. I did not blame Adrian. All I cared about was that he was my brother, and that he was okay.

We exchanged a few hugs, and I asked to touch Sydney's stomach. She gladly accepted and I placed my hand on her stomach. I felt a little bump, barely noticeable, but somehow I knew it was there. It was amazing that she was carrying a living soul in her body. The little baby would be the heir to Turkey, and he or she did not even know it.

But feeling the baby bump also triggered my pity and jealousy. I wasn't jealous of Sydney, no. I was jealous that she had someone to love, and she conceived a baby with him. I had never actually wanted a baby, but curiosity took the best of me and I suddenly wondered what it would feel like to have a little bundle of joy in my arms. A little bundle of joy that was_ mine_. How did it feel like to wake up to someone you truly cared about? Touching, kissing them freely, all that stuff. I wondered if I would ever have the chance to experience all that. I did not care what they looked like, I did not care about complexion. I only cared about the true person, the inside. Who the person was did not matter, only what he did to make me fall for him.

These wonders still filled my mind as Adrian and Sydney left my room, holding hands and looking merrily at each other. I starred at their linked hands as they disappeared out the door. Why couldn't I be like Sydney or my brother? When would I find my true love? Maybe he was near. Or maybe he was here, and I hadn't known it.

I fell asleep again with that last thought in my mind. My mind whispered its own rhythm, and I soon found myself in a dream.

I was staring with hazy eyes out and into a garden. A beautiful garden. It had roses and daises, and almost any flower you could think of. It vaguely reminded me of a rainbow. The garden was big, with many fruit trees surrounding the outer fences, and exotic bushes roaming the rich soil. And there was a pond filled with fish.

I was sitting on a stone bend in front of it. I watched as the water rippled every time I threw a little pebble at a certain spot. The fish would scatter, and I suddenly stopped. Gently, I kneeled down so I was at the edge of the pond. I dipped my fingers inside the cool water as a little fish made circles around it. I smiled a little to myself and straightened my posture on the backless bench.

It was a nice day. The sky had a natural blue color and large, puffy cloud shaped themselves among the countless wonders of blue. I was at peace.

I was just about ready to stand up when a pair of warm hands landed firmly on my shoulder. One of them skimmed my neck and I shivered. It truth, it was very relaxing. I loved it actually. The hands roamed down my shoulders, down my arm, until they finally reached my hands. The man's hands slowly clasped each one of my hands in his and I felt myself squeeze back.

I didn't look down, only straightforward at the far horizon. Even if curiosity got the best of me, I did not look back. I really wanted to see who this man was, but something restrained me from doing so.

I felt his warm lips at the crook of my neck and his warm breath grazing my skin. Gently, I closed my eyes and relaxed into his touch. I felt one hand lift free from mine, and when I opened my eyes to see why, a rose appeared on my hand. It was astonishing. It was as perfect as a flower could get. The petals were perfectly bloomed in place, and little droops of dew sprinkled across the bud.

I twirled it in my fingers and stared down at it lovingly. The man unclasped his other hand from mine and wound them around my waist. It was a perfect gesture of love. This man was my lover. Everything in this moment felt perfect. I loved it. I loved him. He kissed my head and stroked my hair. Then, ever so gently, he placed a hand on my shoulder and turned me around.

I was just about to get a look on his face when reality came back to me and I found myself being shook awake by Mia.

"Princess, time to wake up. It is a new morning, and even though you grieve Mondays, Captain Ashford has requested to see you."

I jolted up from bed and sighed. Upon being woken up from the best dream I've ever had, I was slightly annoyed that it was _only_ a dream.

"Tell him I will be out in a moment," I said to Mia. She nodded and left the room just as Lissa came in holding my dress for the day.

"G'morning, Rose." She greeted with a sly smile on her face. The smile only meant one thing-there was something big going on.

"What is going on, Lissa?" I asked, clicking my tongue.

She sighed lovingly and sat on the corner of the bed. "Oh, Rose. I think I am falling in love. His royal highness's servant, Christian, has asked me to meet him on the deck tonight, while nobody is there."

"How romantic!" I rejoiced, smiling brightly at her. "You must borrow one of my dresses."

Her eyes widened slightly and she shook her head right away. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I could not ask that. I am perfectly fine wearing my own clothing."

"I insist, Lissa." I protested. "Honestly, for how much you have done for me, I not only suggest, but I_ order_ you to take one of my dresses."

She bit her lip she shook her head rapidly. I was taken aback. She never disobeyed my orders. She must have noticed my expression so she quickly shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." Lissa said clearly. "But I do not want Christian to see me of higher class then I am right now. I want him to know me for who I am, and dress is but a matter. I hope you understand, Rose. Thank you though for your kind offer."

I nodded my head in understandment. "Of course I understand, Lissa. Just run a bath for me on your way out and you're free to have the day off."

Her smile was ecstatic. "Thank you, Rose! You are the absolute best mistress in all the kingdom. Thank you again." She bowed slightly before skipping out of the room to turn on the tap in the bathroom.

I sighed and sat back on the bed. At least Lissa found a person that made her as happy as she already was. Christian probably meant the world to her right now. And that was truly something big. He made her feel special, and I secretly hoped that someone would have the same effect on me. The memories of the man in my dream came back to me. Not only that, but in that dream, I felt loved and happy inside. Like a flower was blooming inside me. Damn mornings. If Mia had not woken me up, then I would have saw the man's face.

But maybe it was a sign. Maybe fate did not want me to know just yet who my true love was. Or maybe he was close. Closer then I ever imagined.

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**This chapter was kind of short, I know, and I'm sorry about that. I was planning for it to be about 5,000 words, but I really didn't know how to end it so I just stopped at 3,000. This was kind of boring, but in the next chapter, they will finally arrive in Russia! I don't know if I will make the deadline next week. I guess I can try, but I can't promise that the next chapter will be up by Friday. But if I get the awesomest** **reviews, I'll start the chapter tomorrow. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait! Finals just ended yesterday so I'm officially done with studying! I wrote this chapter quickly because I know you guys deserve something. Oh yeah, and I'm also on break for a month so I'll be updating a lot. No Friday limitations, so I'll update whenever I want. **

**This chapter is 3,588 words and seven and a half pages. So be happy! You'll get more Dimitri and Rose out of this one. On with the chapter!**

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**Chapter 6

A week and a half past until the captain of the ship announced that we would arrive in Russia in a matter of hours. I was glad because I had grown sick of being stranded on a packed ship. I hadn't done much over the week except explore the depths of the ship with Mason. I had not known him for long, but we already had an unbreakable connection. He was like my sibling, always protective and on guard for the worst. Adrian would always tease us about being 'something else', but that was completely false. I only saw Mason as a friend. Nothing else.

And then there was Dimitri. I had spent most my time wondering thoughtlessly around, many times with Mason and sometimes alone. I had not associated with him very often, mostly because he has been disappearing around the ship at countless times. I only saw him during suppertime and sometimes during the day talking with his men. I was thinking that I had spent far too much time with Mason to even talk with Dimitri like I had before. My first thought was that he had been avoiding me, but then I came to the terms that it was vise-versa. I wasn't exactly avoiding him, but I had turned my back on him to go talk with Mason. And now I had to admit that I missed Dimitri. I missed talking to him, spilling out every feeling I had.

Time flew by quickly. Servants were flying about the quarters, preparing everything for our arrival. Mason left the ship and transferred into a medium-sized boat that would take him to Russia twice as quickly as the speed we were going. That is because since he is the head of the guards, he will be announcing our arrival in Russia to the royal family before we get there. I had asked why, but he shrugged and said it was customary.

So I was left alone in my quarters while Lissa and Mia gathered my belongings. I was watching them scuttle around the room out of boredom whilst I lie in bed for no particular reason. I sighed to myself quietly as someone knocked on the door. Lissa made a motion to open it, but I stopped her.

"No, no. I shall do it," I hushed, getting up and quickly opening the door. Before me stood Dimitri, looking as godly as ever, in his dressed up tunics and trousers.

"Hello, Dimitri." I greeted with a broad smile. "How do you do?"

"I am more than fine, Roza." He said in his usual serious tone. "I came to check if you were all set up for our arrival."

"I am all ready." I reassured. "How much longer until we arrive?"

"Not more than an hour." He answered. "But we will be taking a carriage to the palace, which is approximately fifteen minutes away from the docks."

I nodded then smiled. "Then I cannot wait to meet your family."

"They will welcome you with open arms," Dimitri implied. Him saying that banished all my nerves away. Something in his words made me feel calm and subdued.

One of the Dimitri's men came and told him he was needed. He nodded then bid me farewell as I watched him turn on his heels and walk out of the room.

* * *

The hour flew by and we were on our way to the palace. Dimitri, Lissa, Christian, Mia, Eddie, and I were in one carriage together. So far, I liked Russia. It indeed was a beautiful place. There was many trees and nature that I almost forgot how beautiful simple and bare land was. In Turkey, I had been surrounded by castles and cottages, and bare land was far away from my civilization. Sure there were hills of green, but still. I had not seen so many green and healthy trees roaming the land. It looked different from my home, but it had a peaceful and glorious touch to it.

We passed a little town with few cottages then suddenly stopped. I looked at Dimitri who looked out the window and smiled.

"We are here." He announced. The carriage driver hoped off and opened the small door. A splash of sunlight ringed through opened curtains as Dimitri stepped off first then helped me out. And what I saw was indescribable.

It was a castle, only twice as beautiful and more simple. It wasn't like the usual castles, no. But it was something less ornate but at the same time more elaborate and precious. I did not think the word 'castle' fit its description because it was much to extravagant. There was a big garden in front of the gatehouse peaking different flowers in every direction. A dozen guards were stationed by the entrance, swords in belt with faces completely still. There was also a small moat, but not wide and from my view, not deep at all. It did not look like it went all the way around the castle. The water was a clear blue and I heard the trickle of water stream and ripple through the edges. And to cross it, there was a big wooden bridge held by heavy chains.

"Come." Dimitri ordered, motioning me forward. We crossed the bridge side-by-side with Lissa, Christian, Mia, and Eddie trailing behind us.

Once we were inside, I gasped. The castle was _huge_. The ceiling was far from anybody's reach and bore crystal chandeliers that dipped low to the ground. There was a burgundy carpet trailing off to different halls and painting of unknown people hung on the stone walls. Dimitri noticed me looking and bent down to whisper in my ear, "Those were my great ancestors. The former rulers of Russia."

I stared up at amazement at the giant oiled canvas paintings and only moved when Dimitri tugged gently on my arm to keep on walking.

We passed a few halls until we arrived n the grand ball room. And how grand it was indeed. Many people were there. Mostly woman of higher class, considering their Russian dresses. One girl looked very young, maybe younger than me, who wore a crooked smile while toying with the sleeve of her dress. There were two young looking women that looked fairly older then me, one of which held the hand of a small boy whilst cradling a baby girl. I took it the three were Dimitri's sisters. A sweet smiling woman that looked very much like Dimitri was clutching the hand of an ancient-like dame who's eyes gave endless jitters.

Dimitri broke away from me immediately once he saw them and stepped forward to kiss each one's hand. They all spoke in Russian for a fair amount of time, the youngest looking girl throwing me eager glances ever so often. Dimitri nodded his head at them, smiling his best smile, and told me to come over. I obeyed and stepped closer to where they all were standing.

"Roza, I'd like you to meet my family." Dimitri established. He tugged on the youngest girl and brought her forward. Her smile was genuine and wide, like Dimitri's.

"This is my youngest sister Viktoria; the one I told you about."

Viktoria nodded her head at me and widened her smile. "Privet. It means hello in Russian. I see Dimka's been talking about me. Good things, I presume."

I let out a light laugh and Dimitri shook his head, turning to the other women. "This is Sonya and Karolina." He pointed to the ones standing with the small children. "And that is my niece and nephew, Paul and Zoya."

Paul hid behind Karolina's leg once he heard his name. He clutched her thigh and peaked from behind his mother, blushing slightly.

Dimitri grinned and walked over to the two eldest women and put a hand on each one.

"And lastly, this is-

He was interrupted by one of the woman with a solid crown on her head and a sweet smile. I reckoned it was the queen.

"I can take it from here, Dimka." She said softly. Then she turned to me and said, "I am Olena Belikova. I don't like formalities, so please call me Olena." I smiled at this. She clutched the older looking one and continued, "This is Yeva, my mother and Dimka's grandmother."

Not knowing what to do, I stuck my hand out in front of me. Yeva did not move the slightest bit, nor did she make an attempt to smile. She glared at me and it seemed like she was never going to give up.

Feeling a bit awkward, I shuffled my hand back and brought it back to my side. Viktoria stepped forward and touched my forearm apologetically.

"She is like that." Viktoria explained. "Do not worry. She does that to everyone."

I nodded at Viktoria faintly and Olena spoke up.

"We are grateful to have you here, Roza. And to accept my son's hand in marriage. The kingdom is still yet to know about the wedding, as they have not the slightest clue. We have put together a banquet for tonight, if you are not tired. We would love to get to know you and for you to meet the rest of our extended family and so."

I obviously could not say no. "I am not the least bit tired. And thank you very much. I am already looking forward to it."

Olena smiled once more. "Very well. Viktoria and Dimka will show you to your chamber. Rest up and I'll send Dimka to escort you to the ballroom half past noon."

I nodded and followed Viktoria and Dimitri as they led me around the castle. Viktoria threw a few wide-eyed glances at me, as if she were in amazement. Dimitri silently nodded his head and exchanged a few Russian remarks with her.

"YA ne mogu poveritʹ, naskolʹko ona krasiva, Dimka! Ona krasotu bogini. Vy odin schastlivyĭ prints budet zhenitʹsya na nyeĭ! Ne iskazhayut eto!" Viktoria exclaimed with an excited voice. I didn't know what she had said, but she was still looking at me with wonder.

Dimitri examined me for a moment then nodded his head in agreement. "YA ne mogu ne soglasitʹsya Viktoriya. Ona otlichaet·sya ot drugih printsess."

I pondered over his last sentence. Something about the way he said it brought shivers to me. I continued walking along, pretending I was not affected.

The castle was big, and it seemed endless until we finally stopped in front of wooden double doors with brass knobs and intricate patterns carved into it. Viktoria stepped in front of me, opening the doors and walked inside. Dimitri let me go inside before him and I smiled.

The room was beyond words. It was slightly bigger then my old chamber and twice as snug. There was a big canopy bed in the right side of the room with two nightstands and a table. There was a fireplace stocked with freshly cut wood, a Persian rug covering half of the room, and a set of couches covered with a maroon colored cloth. A chest was placed in the far left corner with a paper screen and book shelf. There was also a door, not as fancy as the main one, but still beautiful, that I was guessing led to the bathroom.

"Stunning." I muttered under my breath. Viktoria caught my quirk and smiled brightly.

"You like it, Rose?" She asked. "This will be your chamber until the wedding. Mine is just down the hall."

"I am deeply fond of it," I replied. "Thank you."

"No thank _you_," Viktoria started, "for agreeing to marry my brother. Even though I do not know why any girl would want to marry _him_." She jerked her chin towards Dimitri.

I stifled a giggle and Dimitri shot daggers at her.

"Alright, Viktoria. I think Rose needs her rest." Dimitri said quickly.

"No, no. I'm perfectly vigilant. I have been sleeping all day. A girl cannot survive on sleep alone." I said.

Viktoria nodded and Dimitri said, "If it is what you want, Rose. I will fetch your ladies and send them to bring you a meal later on."

"Thank you." I said as he left the way he came. I turned back to Viktoria who had a mischievous grin on her face. I looked at her curiously and her grin widened.

"How do you like Russia so far? I know it must be boring already, but soon you will get used to it."

"No, I love it actually." I responded. "It is so different from my home."

Viktoria's face changed to surprise. "Really? Most girls I have met like their homelands more then Russia. Dimka was right."

"About what?" I asked.

The corner of her lips turned up. "That you are different then other princesses. Back there in the hall when I was talking to Dimka he told me that you were special."

I smiled at that. Did he really think I was special? I knew Dimitri was sweet and kind and caring, but him thinking I was special struck a nerve inside me.

"Your brother is a gentleman." I said to her. "He is very loyal and I can only imagine him as king."

"And you as queen by his side." Viktoria continued for me.

"Maybe." I said quietly.

"Maybe? You do not want this marriage?" Viktoria questioned.

"I do not know," I said truthfully.

We spent the next few hours talking and getting to know each other. I found out that Viktoria had never gone out of Russia, her homeland, just like I. We were alike in many ways. And she was very intent like Dimitri. She listened to my stories but joked and teased me on many parts.

When it came noontime, Dimitri came in with Lissa and Mia. He looked shocked that Viktoria was still here.

"Viktoria, you are still here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes I am still here Dimka. I just wanted to meet my new half-sister more closely." Viktoria replied, heading towards the door. "But it is getting late and I should get ready for the banquet. I will see you there." She gave me a friendly nod then left.

"I hope that Viktoria did not bore you to death with one of her endless stories." Dimitri said, beaming.

I laughed then shook my head. "Not at all. I enjoyed them actually. She is an interesting young lady. I think I like her."

Dimitri smiled warmly and motioned towards Lissa and Mia. Lissa was holding a dress and Mia was carrying a silver tray of some kind of Russian food. It smelled delicious.

"The royal tailor has put together a dress for you to wear tonight. But only if you approve." Dimitri said, pointing towards the dress.

Lissa held it up. It was forthright stunning. It was a minty, light blue with intricate floral patterns that shone like diamonds. It looked similar to a wedding dress, but was insouciant and heedless of too formal attire. It wasn't too formal, and it wasn't too casual. The dress had a little train that spilled out of the invisible waistline in showers of silk and simplicity. It was synonymous with romance and bedazzled beauty with an edgy taste. And it did not have straps. In Turkey, my father forbade me to wear anything that was not covering my shoulder. He had said I was too young for things like that. But here, they treated me like a woman, hence the dress. I praised it with glory and awe.

"I love it." I told them. "Of course I will wear it. There is nothing else I would want. And thank you for the gift."

Dimitri nodded. "The pleasure is all mine, Roza. Your ladies will help you prepare. I will come back to escort you to the ballroom."

Without another word, he left out the door. Lissa and Mia got to work and ran a bath for me. I took one quickly and dressed in the gown. It fit my perfectly, hugging my body and curves at the right and appropriate places. The dress also came with a separate shawl that was crocheted in a cream white. I wrapped it around me warmly, covering some of my arms and shoulders.

Just in time, there was a knock at the door. Mia gratefully opened it and in stepped Dimitri, wearing a formal white tunic and black trousers. His hair was pulled into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. He looked amazing.

Dimitri held out his hand for me and I took it. We started off, going through a series of halls filled with more paintings and candles until we reached big, open wooden doors. People were walking around inside, greeting each other with little conversation.

Dimitri tugged on my arm lightly and pulled me inside. The inside was filled with marble statues on gold podiums complimented my a beautiful array of chamomiles and blood red roses. On the far left side, there was a big table covered by a satin white cloth set with the finest plates and silverware. And on the right was the ballroom itself, the floor swept with plain marble. I looked around the big room at the ceiling were a chandelier hung.

"Come on, Roza," Dimitri urged, pulling me towards the table. Most of Dimitri's family was already seated as well as people I hadn't met yet. Olena was seated at the head, with Yeva on her right and Karolina on her left. Next to Karolina was Paul, then Zoya. And next to Yeva was Sonya and Viktoria. Dimitri guided me towards the seat next to Viktoria, held out the chair for me and let me sit down.

Viktoria threw me a quick smile before turning to Olena, who clinked her glass goblet with a spoon, bringing everyone's attention towards her. The room grew silent as Olena smiled warmly at everyone and started. She spoke a few words in Russian and I looked at Viktoria for help.

Viktoria turned to me and whispered, "My mother says she welcomes all to the banquet." She paused, listening to Olena's next words. "She says she has some exciting news regarding our new guest." Another pause. "She would like everyone to greet our new guest Princess Rosemarie Mazur of Turkey to the land of Russia." Viktoria pursed her lips and looked at Olena as she led her eyes towards me, smiling.

"My son, Prince Dimka Belikova," she started in English, "has chosen his bride. Their marriage will take place in the fall. So I embolden each one of you to give Rosemarie your prayers and praise for a happy life and marriage. Let our countries collide and become one and for our children to succeed in glory and prosperity. Hvala Dimka i Roza, korolʹ i koroleva Rossii!"

"Hvala Dimka i Roza, korolʹ i koroleva Rossii!" chimed everyone else.

"Praise Dimka and Roza, the king and queen of Russia." Viktoria whispered, taking a sip off her goblet.

I took my glass reluctantly and took a sip of the wine. I wrinkled my nose at the taste, but quickly recovered.

We were served food by the servants shortly after the toast. We were served smoked meat, fish, pastry cookings, vegetables, bread with berries, anything beyond my imagination. After nearly stuffing myself, the music started playing and people got up to dance.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I looked up, meeting the eyes of Dimitri. He held out his hand, a gesture to ask for a dance. I peaked at Viktoria who gave me an encouraging nod. I stood up and took Dimitri's hand as he led me out into the marble floor. The music was tiresome and we danced to a slow beat.

His hands gripped my waist and while mine held his forearms. I leaned into him, his chest radiating warmth. His hands held my waist lightly as if I were a glass ornament. I tilted my head up so our faces were just inches apart. I met his soft, brown eyes and melted instantly. Who was this man, to take such distant effect on me?

He leaned down a bit, our faces and lips only a few inches away, until we both remembered we were in public. He leaned back and looked away. I fell away from his gaze awkwardly as his hands released my body.

Of course. What was I thinking? Was I actually going to let him kiss me? And loose my morals? No. I wasn't.

Dimitri suddenly pulled away from me, sensing my awkwardness. But he held out his hand again. Not wanting to be rude, I took it. He led me away from the crowd until I felt a whip of cool air hit my face. It took me a moment to realize that we were outside on a balcony. Nobody was out here, but I could still hear the noise inside. Dimitri gripped my hand and led my to the marble railing of the balcony. It overlooked the vast lands of Russia in all its beauty and glory. It was completely undreamed of.

I was thinking of asking him why he brought me out here, but I soon got my answer. All noises and the presence of being on earth slipped away from me. Before I could protest, he brought his lips to mine in fiery and passionate kiss.

* * *

**I know you guys want the translation for all those Russian remarks, but unfortunately, I can't really translate them back. It's really confusing and frankly a long story that I don't want to explain. But you guys will find out later on.**

**I'm really sorry if you think this ends too quickly, but I was kind of stuck. But anyways, I should be updating soon, maybe on Monday, possibly tomorrow, you'll never know! But I promise I'll start on the chapter right after I post this! The plot is getting thicker, so that means I'll be wanting to write more. Keep your fingers crossed that Rose and Dimka will get together soon!**

**Oh IMPORTANT MESSAGE: You guys all know that none of us can write lemons coz we're only fourteen. But one is coming up in the next few chapters, so can I ask someone to possibly write a lemon and send it to me? I will give you guys complete credit and everything! Just a reminder. If I don't get one, then I guess I'll try writing one myself. Catch you guys later!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! I'm here with a new update! Let me guarantee everyone that this was the chapter you ALL were waiting for! It doesn't really start up in high spirits, but at the end its all what you guys wanted. **

**And I'm not sure, but I think this will be my last update until 2011. I'm going to my house in Aspen to go skiing with Vici, Kat, and Nessa and I'm not sure if we have internet access there. I can't bring my laptop and I can't remember if we have a computer there either. But if we do, we will start on the chapter right away! **

**Sorry for the mistakes. I was thinking of getting a beta reader, so if your interested, then PM me!**

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Chapter 7

And before I could think about it, I was kissing him back. My lips pressed against his in a lash of ecstasy. Again, I was to ask myself: How did this man have so much effect on me? I had only met him weeks ago and here I was standing, letting him kiss me with his irresistible lips.

And I didn't pull away. My intention, of course, was to thrash back in his grasp and lecture him, but that didn't seep into my mind just yet. Sparks flew from our captured lips and we simply stood there, basking in its glory.

He carefully and cautiously slid his hands from my waist up to my forearm, leaving a trail of warmth from his touch. I, in response, wound my arms around his neck, toying with the ponytail behind his neck. He shivered in pleasure and I smiled lightly against his lips.

Our lips moved in perfect synch. Every touch we exchanged was like lightening striking deep into our souls. It awakened both of us and electrified our senses to a million.

I did not know how long we were standing there, but soon enough, there was an interrupting cough. Dimitri and I broke away quickly, slightly embarrassed. He turned to the person who had unknowingly joined us in the empty balcony.

There, standing not ten feet away from us, was a woman not looking a day over thirty. Her features were striking. She had raven-black curly hair surrounding a pale, heart shaped face. Her eyes were a large frosty ice blue and she had pale pink lips. She was strikingly beautiful. Almost like an angel. Her beauty was somewhat terrifying, but I could tell by just one glance that she must have captured the eyes of many men.

"Lady Tasha." Dimitri's voice rung out.

The woman, Tasha, had a guilty look on her face, possibly for catching us in the middle of this whole thing.

"Dimka." Her voice spoke out in ribbons of velvet with a thick, Russian accent. "I am sorry. I did not mean to catch you with your bride." She had a look of apology on her face.

"It is fine, Tasha," Dimitri said, stepping towards her. "Did you need me for something?"

Tasha shook her head immediately. "No, no. I was just looking for you. I wanted to see you after all these weeks. It's good to have you back, Dimka."

"Likewise." Dimitri let out a sly smile and stepped closer to her, engulfing her in a tight hug. Tasha eagerly returned it. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. I didn't know why, but I did. It's not like I had any _feelings_ for Dimitri. He pulled out of the hug and turned to me a moment later.

"Tasha, this is Rose." Dimitri introduced. Tasha took a step forward and smiled warmly at me.

"It is an honor to meet you, Princess." She bowed slightly. "I am Natasha Ozera. But please call me Tasha."

"Tasha." I repeated. "Please, no titles. I like to be called Rose. Just Rose."

She nodded her head. "Of course. Dimka is an old friend of mine, if you are wondering. Sorry to interrupt your moment. How unlikely of me."

She said the last part with a smirk. I raised my eyebrows at her. Did she really just smirk? Dimitri, of course, did not notice, giving me more angst. That haggard of a wench!

"It's quite alright, Lady Tasha." I said through gritted teeth. I turned my back on them towards the entrance back to the ballroom. "I'll be inside. I think I need to find, um, Captain Ashford." Before either of them could say a word, I stormed inside.

I felt like crying. Who was this Natasha woman? And how could she 'coincidentally' find Dimitri in the middle of our small kiss? Did she really think that she could just ruin it?

My senses suddenly came back to me. What was I thinking? I did not care for Dimitri! He probably had a million ladies in the castle chasing after him. Why would I fall for his trap? He was probably a skirt-chaser after all. I mean he was sweet and caring, but now we were in Russia, all that could have been a lie. Nobody could lure Rosemarie Hathaway in for a trap.

I was leaning against the far wall, watching Viktoria as she came up to me.

"Rose." She said, tilting her head to the side. "You do not look so well. I thought you were with my brother. Where is he?"

I sighed. "Oh he is outside. With Natasha Ozera. I do not even know that woman and I already loathe her!"

Viktoria let out a sly giggle. "OH. I see where you fault. Lady Tasha is not someone you can mess with."

"But I did not!" I cried. "I was just outside with Dimitri."

"And what were you doing?" Viktoria raised her eyebrow, something that everybody can do except I.

I blushed slightly at the memory. "Well...we...just talked."

"You must have done something worse to face her wrath." Viktoria said.

"Nothing." I lied.

"Come on, Rose! You could tell me! I am not the kind of person you can't trust. And the worst you two could have done was kiss..." Viktoria chuckled.

I blushed a deep crimson and Viktoria's jaw dropped.

"You two kissed!" She accused. "Talk about moving fast! This is great!"

"What? I am completely lost."

Viktoria smiled. "I am saying that it is great that you and Dimka kissed. I mean finally! But that is the thing with Tasha. I must warn you. She may get... 'possessive' at times."

"'Possessive' how?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Isn't it obvious? Tasha and Dimka are great friends. It is clear to everyone that she has feelings for him, but it seems as if he is the only one who does not know. Of course, she does not have the slightest chance with him. So why shouldn't she be jealous of Dimitri's soon-to-be wife?"

"Well as long as she stays out of my way." I said. "Then I'll stay out of hers."

"You are wise. Come on, I would like you to meet some of my friends." Viktoria said, tugging on my hand.

I was glad. I did not want to talk anymore of this subject. Viktoria led me through a series of people until she finally stopped at one group filled with young girls and boys varying from Viktoria and I's age. There was one girl and three boys, laughing and exchanging funny remarks. They all turned to us once Viktoria and I arrived.

"Viktoria," said one of the men. He turned to her and kissed her hand, lingering a bit. His hair was dark auburn, soft and wavy with fierce green eyes.

Viktoria giggled in response and said to me, "This is Rolan Kislyak. Or _Lord_ Rolan Kislyak. His father is a diplomat of Russia."

Rolan turned to me, his green eyes wondering about. He bowed and said, "Pleasure, Princess."

I nodded at him and turned to Viktoria who smiled at him lovingly. I looked at her in surprise. Viktoria seemed to have a lover.

Suddenly, someone coughed from behind me. I turned to meet the brown eyes of one of the other two men I hadn't met yet. He had bronze colored hair and he looked nice enough.

"I'm Nikolai Kolya." He said, bowing. He motioned towards the boy standing next to him. "And this is my brother Denis." The boy looked just like Nikolai, except a bit older.

"How do you do?" Denis asked, bowing down.

"Just fine, thank you." I responded. "And you?"

Denis opened his mouth to say something, but the girl next to him smacked his arm. He rolled his eyes then shut his mouth. The girl turned back to me and smiled.

"Sorry about that." She apologized. "I'm afraid whenever somebody asks him that question, he won't seem to shut up. He'll just keep going on and on...oh, my apologies, my name is Tamara, your majesty."

'"And I'm the one who blabbers." Denis murmured under his breath.

I grinned at this. "Well it was very nice to meet you all. I'm getting rather tired. I think I shall call it a night." I said quick goodbyes to them and turned to leave, just to be stopped by a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned quickly and met the piercing green eyes of Rolan.

"Why don't you stay?" He asked politely, removing his hand. "We were just about to head to the garden and have a little welcoming of our own."

"I-" I stopped suddenly, rethinking. I was getting a little light-headed. And I did need some fresh air after all this ruckus. But what if somebody was looking for me? What if I was needed? How awful would it be if Olena called upon my name and I was not there? I hesitated, before decided against it.

"Maybe another time." I said, looking down willfully. "I think I'll stay here and sit down. I feel a bit faint."

Denis shrugged. "Okay, we will see you later." Him and Nikolai turned their backs and left without another word.

"Likewise." Tamara said, following the two men.

Rolan tugged on Viktoria's hand. "Come on, Vika."

Viktoria stayed in place, chewing her lips. Then hesitantly, she turned to Rolan, shaking her head.

"I think I will stay here with Rose. My mother would be angry if I left."

Rolan blinked his eyes twice then slowly nodded. I caught a quip of anger in his eyes.

"Of course." He said through beaten breaths. He turned to leave, first muttering, "Your majesty," as a goodbye.

Once he was gone, I turned to Viktoria who was clutching her arm soddenly. She looked after Rolan with love and endearment, almost as if she were under a spell.

I patted her back gently. "You can go if you wish, Viktoria. I'll be fine in here."

"No." She said firmly, looking away from Rolan's faint figure. "I was right. My mother would be angry if she caught me outside, when I should be with all the festivities."

I smiled dearly and we stayed there talking for who knows how long. I always kept sight of Dimitri, but I never saw him. I suppose he was still outside in the balcony with Tasha. My mind filled with angst at him and at Tasha. I did not give anything for Dimitri! How dare he even kiss me! And then Tasha! I thought for a moment that she was decent, but then her witty charm got the best of Dimitri.

I was beginning to feel nauseous again, but I quickly realized the cause. Dimitri had re-entered the room...with Tasha. They were both smiling like they had just came out of watching a humorous theatre performance. I stared at Dimitri in pure hatred and pain. And the thing that struck me the most was that Dimitri was smiling. Not like the smiles he usually gave me, but a _real_ smile. And he looked happy.

I looked at Viktoria who was looking at me with sorrow. I glanced back at Dimitri, but this time, he caught my gaze and froze in place. His smile faded and he just looked at me with curiosity and mystery. I broke his gaze and looked away quickly. I stood up and turned to Viktoria, who was looking beyond me.

"He is still looking." Viktoria whispered. As much as I wanted to turn back, I didn't.

"I think I'm going to head back to my room now." I told her, averting Dimitri. "Tell your mother that I feel a little faint and I apologize for my sudden disappearance."

Viktoria stood up and put a hand on my arm. "I will do so. Do you want me to get someone to show you to your room?"

I nodded. I still did not know my way around this huge castle.

"Paul!" Viktoria called to her nephew, who had just passed by. "I need you to take Rose to her room. Do you think you can do that?"

Paul nodded his head and motioned for me to follow him. I gave Viktoria a grateful look, then carefully craned my head towards Dimitri. He was still staring at me, almost like asking me where I was going. I shook my head slightly and turned my back head to Paul. We left the grand ballroom and I followed Paul down a long hall, where surprisingly Adrian and Sydney were. Adrian caught sight of me and smiled.

"Dear little sister!" He sing-sang. He pulled Sydney toward where Paul and I were. Paul patiently waited a couple of feet away from us.

"Hello." I said quietly.

"I haven't seen you in a while." Adrian said, pulling Sydney closer to him.

"Neither I." I said.

"Don't you just love it here?" Adrian asked. "It is so big and different from Turkey. And this castle! It is like heaven on ground!"

Sydney sighed dreamingly. "I agree."

I nodded in reply and looked down.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Sydney asked, clutching her small but growing stomach.

I nodded again. "Just feeling a little bilious."

"Is that so?" Adrian asked with concern shining in his eyes. "Well get some rest and we'll find your ladies to comfort you." I nodded slightly and pulled him into a quick hug.

"Feel better, Rose!" Sydney called as soon as Paul and I started walking again.

"So how old are you, Paul?" I asked him curiously. I wanted to at least summon up some conversation.

"I'm ten years old." Paul answered.

"Wow. You're a big boy."

Paul blushed a deep crimson. "That's what Mama says. I want to be just like Uncle Dimka. He's so brave and strong and I want to be like him some day."

"Really?" I said. "Well I think you'll be a spiting image of your Uncle Dimka. You will be just like him."

"I couldn't agree more," said a voice I knew too well. I froze and sighed. Of course he had followed us out of the banquet. We were just outside my chamber doors.

Paul's eyes shone with hope and amazement. "Really? Thank you Roza! Thank you Uncle Dimka!" And he stormed off, back to the ballroom I presumed.

Without turning to Dimitri, I walked inside my room and sat on my bed. I waited and waited until I finally heard his soft footsteps enter the room.

"I saw you leave." Dimitri said, stating the obvious.

"Oh, really?" I spat out. I could not help myself. After all this, did he expect me to be nice and lady-like?

"What is the matter?" He asked.

"Why don't you take a wild guess?"

"Roza." He started. "If I did something to hurt you, I am truly sorry."

I sighed. "It's not something you did, Dimitri. It's _someone_ you know."

He paused and looked at me. I couldn't read him. His expression was blank and he didn't look like he'd let his guard down at any second.

"It's Tasha, right?" He said after a moment.

I stopped suddenly, looking up at him with big eyes. Then, ever so slowly, I nodded my head.

"What did she do?" He questioned. "She must have done something to irk you."

"I have only met that woman for a brief three minutes and I don't like her. How could she possibly show up when you were in the middle of kissing me? And you don't do anything about it! And she fucking smirked when she admitted it. _Smirked_. You must be blind to not realize this, Dimitri, but she _wants_ you."

"I know that." He said, surprisingly calm.

"W-What?"

"I said," He repeated. "I know that Tasha wants me. I am not stupid. But what you don't know, Roza, is that I don't want _her_."

It would have been funny if it weren't us fighting, but instead, watching. We were like an old couple fighting.

"Of course you do!" I nearly shouted. "Do not lie. There's so many reasons to like Natasha. She's beautiful. She's courageous. She's clever. And of course she seems to be the only one to make you smile."

"But so do you!" Dimitri said, still ever so calm.

"Dimitri, listen to me." I said, finally. "We may be getting married, but it does not change our views on other people. This marriage is forced. I know you love somebody else, and I am happy for you. Like you said before, this marriage doesn't have to have love. We just have to make the best out of it."

"Then what is this fight about?" He asked.

I honestly had nothing to say. I was done with words. I had expressed everything I thought in this conversation with Dimitri.

"Now listen to me, Rose." He said quietly, taking a step forward. "You were right about two thing. One is that we _do _have to make the best of this marriage. We don't want to go on with our lives hating each other. But I would never hate you. Second, I am in love with somebody."

"I _knew_ it." I said under my breath. It was obvious, really.

"No you didn't. You thought I was in love with Tasha. Tasha is just a friend of mine, Roza."

"The-Then who?" I interrogated.

He paused to take a few steps forward until he stopped in front of me. Carefully, he knelt down, my knees brushing the top of his thighs. Our lips were just inches away, I felt his warm breath roam my face. He lifted his hand and caressed my cheek. His hand was warm and welcoming. I stayed underneath his touch, completely frozen in place.

I felt like I was in a dream as he leaned forward and whispered ever so slightly.

"You."

Then, he crashed his lips to mine. This time, it was an expected kiss. It was sweet and passionate at first, but then grew to a fiery and intense one. His hands rested on my thighs and I quickly put my hands around his neck tightly. We were a perfect fit. I didn't really care if I was kissing Dimitri. All I knew was that _I_ was kissing Dimitri and I think I liked it.

He pulled away briefly, our foreheads still touching.

"I love you, Roza." He breathed. "I've only known you for a couple of weeks, but all I know is that I love you. Your the best thing that's happened to me."

I pulled him in for another sweet kiss. He muttered something Russian against my lips, which made me kiss him fiercer.

"Aw, how adorable!" A voice suddenly rang through our ears. Dimitri and I didn't spring apart like before, but just stayed in the same position and turned our heads towards the door. A grinning Lissa and Mia were stationed there, clapping their hands and beaming at us.

"How much of that did you see?" I asked them.

Lissa giggled. "We came when you two started kissing. Adrian told us you were feeling lightheaded, but I guess not anymore."

I looked back at Dimitri with loving eyes. He gave me another peck and I smiled.

Mia made a disgusted sound and said to Lissa, "Come on Lissa. Let's go before they get 'intimate'." I blushed as Lissa and Mia winked simultaneously at me then left.

Dimitri stood up and brushed off his trousers, still grinning down at me.

"Do you want to go back to the banquet?" He asked, stroking my hair. "Or do you want to stay here?"

"Will you stay here with me?" I asked, licking my lips.

Dimitri chuckled. "I'd love to, but unfortunately I can't. My mother would be furious if she found I am not present."

I sighed. "Then I suppose I will come back with you." I stood up and Dimitri tucked me tightly in his arms.

"I love you, Roza." He reminded me.

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**Okay guys, about the lemons in this story. I had a complaint that if I did put a lemon in this story, then the reviewer would not read this story anymore. And then she gave me this whole review about how even though I will be marking the lemon, it's considered 'porn' and shit. Well if you can't handle a lemon, then I don't think this story is for you. Go ahead, don't read this story anymore because honestly, losing one 'fan' doesn't matter. So please **reviewer I shall not name** GROW UP! **

**Anyways, in case we don't have internet in Aspen:**

**HAVE A FREAKING MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! AND A FABULOUS NEW YEAR! LET'S ALL WISH RICHELLE MEAD A GOOD YEAR FOR BLOODLINES AND THE REST OF HER BOOKS!**

**So what do you guys want for Christmas? And give me your predictions of Bloodlines. What do you think will happen? And what 'loose strings' will Richelle tie up for us?**


	8. Chapter 8

**GASP! An update! MERRY CHRISTMAS! Let this be a Christmas present from me to you. It turns out we do have internet here in Aspen. It's freezing cold! Ha, we're all here together and it's been so long! Ugh, there are so many people I know here! My crush is here, but he's staying in a hotel. :( I fell while skiing and he helped me up. Then we burst out laughing and I pulled him down with me. :) I call that progress. **

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Chapter 8

The next day, I was awoken by Lissa and Mia. It was very early in the morning and I heard the faint sound of birds chirping outside. The memories of last night soon fled into my mind and I couldn't hold back a foolish grin. After we had left the room to go back to the banquet, Dimitri and I couldn't stay away from each other. Olena had asked me if I was feeling any better and I nodded. Viktoria was sitting at the table smiling up at us like there was no tomorrow. And the best news: There was no sign of Tasha. I bit my lip once I had realized this. Maybe she had left. Or even better, maybe she had been sent to hell.

This morning I felt fresh. There was nothing holding me back. I had Dimitri and he had me. I didn't why it took me so long to realize that Dimitri and I were compatible together. We balanced each other out and I couldn't ask for more.

I followed Lissa and Mia out into the hall, where they erupted into a fit of wild giggles. I raised my eyebrows at them and they just looked at me like I was something new and delicate.

"Tell us what happened last night." Lissa asked, her steps slowing as she fell to my side.

"And no lies. We have been _dying_ to know." Mia added, falling into my other.

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing at all. After the banquet, we danced a bit more then he escorted me back to my room." _And we kissed more, _I silently added, but was too overjoyed to. "But you two must have seen it all already."

They both nodded with cheeky smiles. We continued walking until we reached the dining hall. There, in the middle of the room, was a covered table filled with Russian delicacies. Around the table, elaborate chairs were placed making a pool all around, seating members of the Belikov family. Olena was at the head, much like the seating of last night's banquet. Dimitri was also there, and when he saw me, gave me a big smile. I gladly returned it.

I walked up to wear Dimitri was sitting and gave him a kiss on the cheek. His smile only widened in reply as I sat down in the available chair next to him.

"Good morning, Rose." Olena said with a sweet smile. Today was just full of smiles. "I trust you slept well?"

"Indeed I did." I replied, pouring myself a cup of tea. "The banquet last night was beautiful."

"We did our best to welcome you." Viktoria said in the seat beside me. "But of course, we're glad you enjoyed it."

We made small conversation until Olena brought up the subject about the wedding.

"Rose, today you'll be going with Karolina and Sonya to organize the wedding a bit," she said.

"Yes," Karolina confirmed. "Even though the wedding is not until the fall, many preparations still need to be made. Sonya and I will take you to the tailor so you may pick out your dress."

"And we'll work on the letters." Sonya added.

"Letters?" I asked.

"Letters." She repeated. "We'll have to send out invitations to someone! We'll send them out months beforehand, of course."

"I still don't see why I cannot come." Viktoria whined, spearing a piece of asparagus with her fork.

Karolina was the one to respond. "Because Vika. You will be watching Paul and Zoya with Dimka."

Dimitri almost choked on his porridge. He quickly coughed quickly then looked at Karolina.

"I will?" He asked.

Karolina nodded. "Well you have nothing else to do, so why not?"

Dimitri did not argue after that. He knew that he would lose, so why push it further? I clutched his hand underneath the table and he gave it a little squeeze. I continued eating then finished quickly, eager to prepare the wedding. Sonya told me to get ready and I obeyed, rushing to my room. My ladies lay out a plain green, flowing dress which I happily accepted. Nothing could spoil my mood today.

Dimitri was waiting outside my room for me. When I asked him why, he answered with a smothered kiss. My instincts took in and I began to kiss him back. But then there was slight cough and we turned our heads to find a grossed out Viktoria, clutching the hand of a confused Paul and holding Zoya. I blushed and took myself out of Dimitri's grasp.

"Ew." Viktoria said plainly, disgust clear on her face. She teasingly covered Paul's face, cutting off his sight.

Dimitri chuckled and pulled me back to him. "Come on, Viktoria," he joked, "Bring Paul and Zoya to the garden and I'll meet you there."

Viktoria rolled her eyes then continued walking with a facetious grin on her face. She paused while passing by us then stage-whispered, "Don't hurry. Take_ all_ the time you need." She left with a humorous chuckle, dragging Paul to hurry up.

I turned back to Dimitri with settled eyes and placed my arms around his neck. He happily applied and almost instinctively put his hand around my waist so we were positioned in a glorious hug. If I could, I would stay in this position forever. I would literally die in his arms if I had to. But then I remembered that I had to meet Karolina and Sonya.

I sighed to myself and he squeezed me closer to his chest. "I have to go," I whispered into his ear, pulling back slightly. I was still in his loving embrace, and I did not want to let go. I felt his warm lips at the edge of my jaw, leaving a trail of kisses down to my neck. Butterflies flew in my stomach and I closed my eyes, suppressing a relaxed sigh.

His lips were at the base of my neck within seconds, and I found myself threading my fingers through his silky brown hair. He lifted his head to meet my lips one more time, but he stopped an inch away. I felt his heated breath splash on my face like a bliss of warmth.

"Don't want to make you late." He muttered, pulling away so we were at arms length. All the romance and silence whipped away just like that and I found myself letting out silent, frustrated groan. Luckily, he didn't hear it.

He held my hand in his calloused one, like a farewell gesture. But it wasn't. "Karolina told me to bring you to the tailor," he said. "You'll meet both my sisters there."

And that was it. We started walking, him still clutching my hand, but any trace of romance was gone in a poof. I felt mentally frustrated by this, and I didn't know why. Dimitri must have saw my face-glum, blocked, and stern-because he pressed me closer to him.

We soon arrived in less intricate part of the castle. It was still beautiful, of course, but it was more simple. A Persian rug filled the halls leading to a series of doors. None of them were guarded, which in my case, was good. It felt nice to be in a place where you weren't watched 24/7. One door, the furthest one, was fully open and light spilled out of the room. Dimitri led me toward it and motioned for me to go inside. I happily stepped in and peered throughout the room.

Splashes of color filled the room until I realized that I was looking at various dyes alining the walls. Table were set up at every corner, silk and brocade on the tabletops. Needles were sown across one table, grazing the top of an almost finished gown. The room was an utter mess, but it seemed as if only the front part was complete trash. In the back part of the room, where Dimitri's sisters and an unknown lady stood, it was clean and well tidied. A cleanly organized desk held a stack of papyrus paper with drawings on it and cup of drawing charcoal. Other then that, the desk held a pair of tiny spectacles, a quill and bottle of ink, and a glass of fresh roses.

I stepped forward and I felt Dimitri's hand on the small of my back, leading me forward through the rubble and into the cleanliness. Once we reached the three ladies, Karolina motioned towards me at the other woman standing apart. they were talking in English, so my first thought was this woman was not Russian. The woman nodded then began walking around me in circles, as if inspecting me. Then she stopped and nodded to herself again.

"Rose," Karolina said, "this is Sonya Karp. The royal tailor. She will be making your dress for the wedding."

Sonya Karp stood in front of me, sweeping down into an elegant bow.

"It is an honor to meet you, Princess," she said, looking up. She had the most striking azure blue eyes, almost similar to the color of fresh water. Her auburn hair was tied up into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, giving her a soft touch. She looked young, but I knew she must have been older then me.

I turned around to look at Dimitri, but he had vanished from sight. I turned back to the ladies just as Sonya Belikov started to say, "Before you got here, we were discussing the color that would go best for you dress, and would look good on you. But we've narrowed it down to cream, ivory, or white."

Ms. Karp (I had decided to call her this to not confuse Sonya Belikov with her) held out her hand to me, palm up. Not knowing what to do, I sheepishly took it. She brought it up to her for her to see and lightly nodded before putting it down. She inspected my face once more before speaking up.

"Well you have many choices," Ms. Karp said, "considering how beautiful you are. Many women have one aspect to them, but I could see that you have many. There are endless choices for your perfect dress." She lifted the stack of papyrus paper up from her desk.

"I've planned out, or rather drew out, some options for you." She continued. Then, she motioned towards a comfy looking sofa behind a worn out glass table. "Please sit and look through it. I have more drawings when you are finished."

So I sat on the sofa, in between Sonya and Karolina, flipping through various charcoal sketches of dresses. Ms. Karp was a very good artist. All of the dresses were equally beautiful and charming, some of them f_ar_ too beautiful and charming. Karolina and Sonya pointed some out to me, but I couldn't seem to find one I liked. Ms. Karp brought us another stack of wedding dress sketches and again, we pondered over it. I found two dresses from the stack that I absolutely loved.

The first was like a ballroom fairytale dress. Ms. Karp had sketched out every single detail, which made it twice more extravagant. She said she had imagined the dress as a cream, gold color. It was near strapless, but had rose like ensembles falling down the shoulder, touching mid-arm. It tightened at the waistline, gripped by a sash-like bow that drifted down with an opening of another rose ensemble. The dress was crumpled at certain points, touching the floor and leading back to an elaborate little train.

The second dress was a tad bit more simple. It looked as if it were wrapped around the body, but was firmly attached in creases leveling at different heights. Ms. Karp had drawn pieces of flowers dripping down the dress, giving it an eloquent touch.

I continued looking through the dresses until I found two more dresses I absolutely loved. Ms. Karp had said that we were looking at the more simpler dresses she had drawn.

The third dress I had found was similar to the second one's build, but had two simple things to it: The crumpled skirt of the dress and the corset like top attached together.

The fourth dress was also strapless but was tied somewhere at the bottom, dipping the skirt of the dress. There was a simple rose at the side, holding part of the dress up and letting the second skirt flow out.

The four dresses I had found really stood out. Something brought them apart from the other dresses, so I just had to pick them. Ms. Karp said I could decided which dress I would like later, because we were running somewhat out of time. I hadn't known how long we had been looking at the dresses.

Next and last on the list: invitations. Karolina told me that we would have to make decide on them now so we could send them out quicker. The invitation would take weeks, sometimes months to deliver to its possessor. I didn't know who they were planning to invite to the wedding, so I left the subject with them.

We would not need Ms. Karp any longer, so we left her to tend to her dresses. But we stayed in her room. Karolina had retrieved the quill and ink from Ms. Karp's desk and placed it on the worn out table in front. Sonya unfolded a single sheet of papyrus paper and put in next to the ink and quill.

"We'll have to make a draft on what to put on the invitation." Karolina explained. "So this is not the final one. We just have to scrawl down what we want and the Russian artists and writers shall tend to writing and decorating them."

Easy enough. All three of us worked together to make an ostentatious invitation. We had to scribble down when the wedding was, where, and whom it was for. I hadn't known the exact date of our wedding, but I soon found out. November 7. The wedding would take place at the Royal Russian church, where Sonya told me all Royal families had themselves and their children wed.

The end result of the invitation was this:

**UNTO ALL AND**

**SINGULAR TO**

**WHOM THESE WORDS SHALL COME**

do the Belikova and Mazur families extend

warmest greetings. You are cordially

invited to the Russian-Turkish Wedding

of

_Prince Dimitri Ivan Belikova_

and

_Princess Rosemarie Catherine Mazur_

to be held the 7th of November at the

Royal Russian Church. Ceremony commences

at five in the evening.

To be followed by a wedding feast.

I could just imagine the invitation once it was decorated and painted at the edges with the Russian seal enclosing it.

Karolina and Sonya said we had finished up for the day and I could leave. So I did, not actually knowing where I was going. I wondered around the castle until I somehow ended up in the ballroom. Dimitri had told Viktoria to meet him at the garden, so maybe he was there. There were two doors leading out and I knew one of them led to the balcony. So I took the other and found myself in the garden as I predicted.

But not just any garden. _The _garden. The garden from my dream. I was so aghast that I nearly fainted. But luckily two arms came from behind me wrapped themselves around my torso. I turned around and buried my face into his muscular chest, breathing in his heavenly scent.

"How did the preparations go?" He asked huskily. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Tiring, but I lived. I missed you."

"I missed you, too." He said, leaning down for another kiss. It wasn't even two seconds before he broke away and led to the outskirts of the garden, away from the pond and the bench. I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked around to see nothing but green. It was so beautiful here. So _peaceful_.

Dimitri led me to where Viktoria, Paul, and Zoya were playing around. Viktoria stopped when she saw me and broke out into a playful smile.

"Hello, Rose." She greeted before taking Zoya into her arms. She gave Dimitri a look, almost like a signal, then turned back to me.

"Um..." Viktoria bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She looked nervous, but most of all, she looked like she was hiding something.

"Viktoria." Dimitri said, saving her. "Why don't you bring Paul and Zoya inside. It's getting dark." And sure enough, it _was_ dark. A whole day had passed and I didn't even know it.

She gave Dimitri a thankful look and said to me, "I'll see you later!" She then retreated with Paul chasing after her.

"What was that about?" I asked Dimitri.

He shook his head and led me further into the garden until we reached an almost blank part. It was just green grass and a big oak tree standing there. Nothing else. I looked around in surprise, but decided to keep quiet.

Dimitri turned to me, looking at me straight in the eyes.

"Roza." He started, grabbing my hands. "I know how you must feel about this marriage. This is all being forced. But I just wanted to tell you that I love you, Roza. And to me, nothing of this is being forced."

"Dimitri-" I started, but he put two fingers on my lips and I forced myself to be quiet and listen.

"If I hadn't made it clear from the first day I met you, I love you, Rose. So, so much. So much it pains me. I know it's only been a few weeks but I know deep in my heart that you belong to me, as I you.

"I know you had your heart set on a proper marriage. You've always wanted that. You told me on the ship and on the carriage. People did not intend for us to fall in love this way, but we did. And the thing is, Roza, that I love you too much for this to go to waste. I want to get married to you and only you. But I want to get married the right way, with just you and me. Let's not think about force or our countries, just the two of us."

I nearly gasped in astonishment when he knelt down, still clutching my hand. He pulled out something, a ring, from the pocket of his trousers and held it up in front of him.

"Roza." He whispered. "Will you marry me?"

I understood him completely. He wanted us to get married, not off force, but off trust and love. From what Adrian had told me, he had proposed to Sydney with a ring. It was a symbol of love and cherish. And that was what Dimitri was doing. Even though we were being forced to marry, he didn't want me to think about it. In was a gesture of love.

And what else could I say? I knew I was in love with Dimitri.

"Yes." I said. He stood up and took me into his arms. I was filled with excitement and joy. Dimitri understood me. And we were complete.

He slipped the ring on my right finger, like in Russian tradition. It was very beautiful. It was three bands overlapping one another; one silver, one gold, and one copper. I admired it from afar.

"Do you like it?" Dimitri asked, holding me close. "It was my great-grandmother's ring."

Tears filled my eyes and I kissed him slowly on the lips. Something to say thank you.

"I love it." I said, holding on to him. "And I-I love you." It was the first time saying it out in words and it was like letting out a breath I'd been holding. It brought a grin to Dimitri's face as he kissed me again. And again. And again.

"I love you too, Roza." He said. "Forever and ever."

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**Sweet, huh? So I need you guys to vote on the poll on my profile for Rose's dress. It's gonna be up for a while, so please, VOTE VOTE VOTE! Oh and also, the invitation for the wedding is something I got off google. Nothing belongs to me! I think THIS will be my last UD until 2011. Not sure though. Anyways, MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND WHAT DID YOU GET FROM 'SANTA'? I GOT A Nikon camera :) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Done with another chapter! Thank you guys so much for the reviews on the last chapter. They were AMAZING! So I'm leaving Aspen tomorrow night to get ready for Monday. Monday is when my school resumes :P So I probably won't be able to update as much. **

**WARNING: This chapter has a slight M scene, but I won't mark it because its not really that bad. It's not a lemon, but a really heated make out session :)**

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Chapter 9

A matter of weeks passed and I found myself hugging Adrian and Sydney like my life depended on it. I would be alone after they left, but I would still have Dimitri. Adrian and Sydney were going back to Turkey. They thought it was best because Sydney was starting to show and the baby would be safer around their homeland. And Adrian thought it was time to tell my father. They would be coming back for my wedding with my father and Daniella in the fall. But the good thing was, they would be having an early marriage once they were back in Turkey to avoid some complications. I was a tad bit sad because I wouldn't be there to see them get married. But Adrian assured me that all was well and that I should focus on my marriage and on Dimitri.

"I will miss you so much." I whispered in Sydney's ear, clutching her tightly. I felt her smile against me as she squeezed me back. "Good luck with the wedding. And thank you for coming with me to Russia."

"Your welcome." She said, pulling back. "We promise to send letters. And I wish you good luck until we come back."

"Yes, little sister." Adrian said, putting an arm around me. "Make sure to stay safe and stick with Belikov. It's nice to see that you two have bonded."

I smiled at him and gave him a big hug. I would miss Adrian and Sydney. They were like my mother and father in their time here in Russia. They always looked after me. That's why it pains me to see them leave. And I was looking forward to seeing them get married. But I understood that they had to get married before the baby was born, so that nobody would suspect anything.

"Of course I will, Adrian. Take care of Sydney and the baby growing inside her."

Adrian gave me a broad smile. "We shall see you in the fall with Abe and my mother. But please, try not to get into _too_ much trouble."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll try not to. But no promises."

I gave them one last hug before they stepped inside the carriage. Sydney waved through the little window and Adrian nodded at me, as if in approval. And then they were off. I watched their carriage go further and further until it was no longer in sight.

I sighed and made my way back inside the castle. Over the past few weeks, I had learned my way around the halls of the castle. I knew where the ballroom was, the dining hall, everyone's room, and much more. But best of all, I knew the garden. I knew it's twist and turns and the way around the little bushy maze. It had become mine and Dimitri's place. Our own little world. We would go out their often after meals and fool around.

Our relationship had grown deeper as we learned different things about each other. I learned that Dimitri loved western novels and that we had wanted to fight in the war when he was eighteen. He wanted to do everything to protect his country, even if it meant risking his own life. And he loved fighting. Not mental fights, but more of physical fights. He was quick and loved to train himself like he was a guard, which would explain his muscles.

Dimitri had also learned about me. He found out that I loved animals and wouldn't hurt a single one. I told him that I had always wanted a French bulldog ever since I was nine. I remembered the Prince of France once came to visit us to make business with my father. He brought his dog, a healthy French bulldog named Samuel, and entrusted me to watch over him while he met with my father. All went well. We played and chased each other around for most of the day. Dimitri listened patiently through my tale, nodding and smiling. Then he promised me that one day when we were married, he would send someone to retrieve a bulldog from France just for me. He got rewarded for that with a kiss.

Every single day would go like that, but at night time was where the real action happened. In the middle of the night, when we were sure everyone was asleep, Dimitri would sneak into my room. No questions on how he got there. My ladies were fast asleep in their quarters, so we were completely safe. He would lie in my bed with me and we would kiss all night long. He would leave once the crack of sunlight would splash across my room. The feeling of someone bursting through the door brought anticipation and adventure to our kisses, like it was forbidden.

We had to be quiet. If we made noise or talked very loud, somebody would wake up and find us in bed together. And we certainly did not want them to get the wrong idea. We hadn't slept together yet, much to Adrian's amusement, and I felt a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I was keen on keeping myself clean and respectable and I couldn't possibly loose myself to a man that I hadn't even married yet. But then again Sydney and Adrian had done it and they loved each other, as I loved Dimitri. He certainly didn't push the subject of sexual activity every night when he was in my room. All we did was kiss. Nothing more.

Although I loved Dimitri more then my own life, I didn't know if I was even ready. Part of me wanted us to connect and become one, but the other parts denied it. I loved Dimitri and our relationship just the way it was. But still, I couldn't push the nagging voice in my head saying that I wanted more from him. We did love each other, so why not show it? I pushed this subject out of my head as I entered my room. Lissa and Mia were patiently waiting there with...Christian? One of Dimitri's men?

"Oh...hello." I said, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Morning, Princess." Christian greeted.

"Please, Christian. It's Rose. And good morning to you, too." I said as he flashed me a cheeky grin.

"Please excuse me." Christian apologized, glancing at Lissa. "I just came to see Lissa."

I nodded. "No worries. I was just checking in. Take as long as you need, Christian. I think I'll be out for a while." Then I turned to Mia and said, "Mia, why don't you go find Eddie? You two haven't seen each other in an awfully long time."

Mia smiled. "Thank you, Rose." She gave me a quick hug before scurrying towards the door.

I turned to Lissa and Christian. "I shall see you later then." I followed shortly outside in search for Dimitri. I didn't know why I was doing this, but I already had my plan into action. Step 1: complete. I had gotten my ladies busy so they wouldn't come looking after me. Step 2: find Dimitri. My first guess was that he was in his room. I knocked slightly on the big, brass door leading to his room. Luckily, he opened it, looking quite surprised.

I smiled up at him. "Hi," I said, standing on my toes to give him a full kiss on the lips.

"Roza," he said against my lips. He pulled away shortly and asked, "What are you doing here?"

I frowned. "You do not want me here?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, of course I want you here. Come in." He stepped aside to let me in. Once I was in, he shut the door quickly. He turned around to face me and I attacked his lips. No question about it. So far, so good...

He kissed me back with an equal force as his arms encircled my waist. I grabbed his face in between my hands and brought him down to me, even closer. Heat and passion was burning within us as we both gasped for air.

We started to kiss again, but his tongue licked the bottom of my lip, asking for entrance, which I granted. His tongue explored my mouth, each and every inch, and I stifled a moan. Our tongues battled for dominance, and it was I who won.

I kissed him with all the love I was made of, but it still wasn't enough. I didn't know what in me wanted to do this, but it felt right. This felt right. I didn't care about rules of no sex before marriage. I loved Dimitri and he loved me. There were no rules regarding that.

I pulled away from him, slightly panting, as I led him over to his neatly made bed. We stood at the foot of it, his lips meeting mine again. I slid my hands down to his forearm, catching him off balance as I brought him down onto the bed with me.

I sighed dreamingly as he began kissing down my neck. Maybe he felt the same way. I think it was time. I'd waiting far too long.

I felt myself tug at the hem of his tunic, bringing it slightly above his stomach. My hands traced his perfectly toned muscles, tracing each plain and slope. He shivered under my touch. I smiled as he brought his lips back to mine.

Then, ever so carefully, I pushed his tunic up so it was nearly off. I rubbed my hands up and down his chest and he groaned in reply. I wrapped my legs tightly around him like a snake, wanting to get as much of him on me as possible.

I was just about to tug the shirt of him when he pulled back and stiffened. I looked at him in shock.

"Roza, we can't do this." He whispered.

"Dimitri..." I nearly whined. But I knew there was no point in arguing. When he put a stop to it, he had meant it.

"No, Roza." He said sternly, standing up and pushing his tunic back down. "We can't risk it."

A stab of rejection hit me like thunder. "W-What?"

He sighed. "We can't do this." He motioned back an forth between us. "It's not right."

Suddenly, anger boiled inside me and I felt like screaming.

"It's not _right_?" I said through gritted teeth. "Dimitri I thought when you put this ring on my finger that you promised a relationship based on love and trust. Nothing else. No restrictions."

"This _is _love and trust, Rose." He said, pain flowing through his eyes. "I love you and you know that. You don't know how much I want to push you down onto my bed again and make love to you. It's just that its too early, Rose."

"Love doesn't have limits." I spat at him.

"I know. But we're not married yet and we can't push that out of the way and think about ourselves. We both made commitments to stay pure and I certainly don't think you want to break it now. And I don't think you ready."

My jaw dropped open in offense. Steam bursted through my ears as I shouted, "I-I'm not ready? You can't tell me if I'm damn ready or not! Because I know that I'm already ready as hell. You love me, so why can't you show me? You are so_ safe_, Dimitri. Why can't you be a little wild for once? If you can't show me, then I _doubt_ your love for me."

This must have struck a nerve in his system. He was completely frozen in place. I must have saw a million expressions in his eyes. Hurt, love, pain. But I hadn't regretted what I had said.

Then, ever so coldly, he whispered, "Get out."

"Excuse me?"

"I said _get out_," he said with a little more force. He looked very mad.

Burning with rage, I stepped around him and headed for the door. Just a few steps away from the exit, I swiveled around and clutched my right hand. His back was turned away from me, clearly still frozen in place.

I slipped the ring he had given me and dropped it on the floor near my feet. It made a soft clatter, but I knew he had heard it.

"Here's your stupid ring back." I spat. "I don't know what I got myself into when I said I loved you." When he did not turn around, I ran out of his room and burst into tears. And there went my own life. Leaving Dimitri there was like a blast through my heart.

I didn't know how I felt. It was much like anger coursing through my veins, but intensified by a million. And I couldn't help but feel sad. I had never seen Dimitri that angry, and the way he said, "get out," was unbelievably horrific. But even through all my feelings, I knew I was right. I _was_ ready to give myself to Dimitri because I loved him. Isn't that what two people did to show their love for each other?

I cried and cried my heart out in the hall until a shadow loomed over me. I expected it to be Dimitri, but instead it was Viktoria. She wore a concerned expression on her face. I hid my face from her view and she reached out to put a hand on my shoulder.

"Rose...what happened to you?" She asked.

I shook my head and wiped the hot tears away with the sleeve of my dress.

"Nothing," I told her.

"No. You're crying..." Viktoria bit her lip. "Come with me." She pulled me up to my feet and dragged me to the library. Nobody was here, thank goodness.

"Tell me what's wrong. Is it Dimitri? Did he do something?"

When I didn't say anything, she sighed. "Rose, whatever he did, I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"B-But he didn't do anything. It was all _me_." I soon came to realize that it was the truth. I was the main cause of his anger. If I only hadn't pushed the subject of sex further, we wouldn't be in this situation. I was so _stupid_. So stupid to realize that I liked the way our relationship was.

Viktoria smiled sadly down at me. "Well, it looks as if you need some cheering up. I was just about to meet some friends in the garden. Come with me?"

The garden. Definitely the place I did _not_ want to go to. "I don't know...I think I shall go to the kitchen...I eat when I am upset." I said this with a sheepish grin. I wiped away the last of my remaining tears and looked up at her.

"Okay then." Viktoria said, patting my back. "Come to the garden if you want to see me." She was just about to leave when she looked back at me with soddened eyes. She hesitated before coming back to me. "Oh what the hell. You are my friend, Rose. I shall stay with you."

I sighed. "Viktoria, please. Go ahead and have fun with your friends. You've wasted enough time with me already."

"But how could I leave you here when you are sad? That is unlikely, Rose. Come, we will burn your pain with a fresh batch of pelmenis."

"What is a pelmeni?"

"It is a poached pastry with a meat filling. I think you will find it quite satisfying." She said with a smile. I sighed and followed her to the kitchen.

The royal chef and his staff were scurrying around the kitchen, preparing supper. A deep, spicy scent hit my nostrils and I couldn't help but swoon. Mmm...it smelled delicious!

"Mikhail." Viktoria called out smoothly at the chef. "Is it alright if we have a taste of your fine pelmenis?"

"Of course, Princess." Mikhail Tanner said. I had met him before; he usually came up to the dining hall to survey how well we liked his food. He was quite satisfied by me, of course, because I absolutely loved his meals. He passed by me and smiled. "I was just whipping up a batch for tonight."

Viktoria led me over to a small but subtle wooden table with four stools. I sat on one and Viktoria sat on another.

"Hopefully we won't spoil our supper." Viktoria commented. "But I_ am_ a sucker for a good story. So what really happened?"

"I told you, Viktoria, I really don't want to talk about it." I said, rubbing the temples of my forehead. "Right now all I want to do is drown away my sorrows."

Viktoria perked up at that. She slipped out of her seat for a moment to come back a second later with a full, open bottle of vodka.

"Where did you get that?" I had to ask.

Viktoria shrugged. "Here in Russia you can get your hands on anything. And its very typical to drink here. We drink champagne and wine during festivities, and we drink vodka to drown our sorrows and horrid memories."

"What is so so special about _that _particular vodka?" I asked, eyeing the bottle that was grasped in her possession.

"This is _Russian _vodka." She emphasized with a wide grin. "It's so strong it will knock you out in the first few sips."

Just what I needed. Something to take me away from the face of the earth. At least, for a few hours. I wanted to be completely free of my life, to be alone, and to have no problems holding me back.

"We will not get into any form of trouble?" I asked Viktoria finally.

She shook her head. "I told you, drinking in Russia is very typical. Just know when to stop yourself." She held the held the bottle out for me to take and I took it gratefully. I put my lips to the cold rim of the bottle and drank, swallowing everything that went into my mouth straight away.

And I almost spit out everything. The bitter taste of the Russian vodka took over my mouth, completely paralyzing it. It tasted toxic, the strongest thing I'd ever tasted. I held my tongue out in disgust, coughing out the brawny taste.

Viktoria laughed at my reaction and took the bottle from my hand, taking a sip for herself. She looked completely sane as if she hadn't tasted a thing.

"Didn't you think that was horrible?" I asked her, brushing my tongue with the top row of my teeth.

"Nope," she answered. "I'm used to it. It tastes powerful at first, and it still does, but I'm used to it so I don't get inebriated too fast." She eyed me with amusement as she passed the bottle to me again.

I took another big sip, and stuck my tongue out again. We took turns passing around the bottle, eating the pelmeni which Mikhail had brought over. Five minutes passed and I was a bit tipsy. I couldn't particularly think straight and every time I saw Viktoria, she had three heads. She sensed that I was quite drunk and took the bottle of vodka away from me.

"I think you've had enough," she told me. Then she led me to my room. I stumbled half the way, not knowing where I was going. The Russian vodka had really gotten to me, and its effects worked strongly.

I tripped inside my room with a rather tickled Viktoria following shortly behind me. She wasn't drunk at all, which didn't surprise me as much.

She told me to take quick nap and that she would come to wake me up for supper. I quickly complied and hit the bed faster then anything. During that time, I grew a little closer to sanity. I was still a bit woozy, but I could walk straight. Viktoria kept her promise and came back. We walked to the dining hall in silence, joking every so often about my overdose of Russian vodka.

Once we arrived, we were greeted by the whole entire family. And then I realized that Dimitri was here. Of course he was here. He didn't look up at our entrance. I felt a stab or sorrow and regret as I took my place next to him. It was quite awkward. We didn't make any conversation and it disappointed me when he dismissed himself from the table early.

I knew that our relationship had took a turn for the worst. I still couldn't believe the words I had said to him. All I wanted to do was be in Dimitri's arms, kiss all over his face, and forget everything we had gone through this morning. I wouldn't blame him if he never forgave me. What I said was unforgivable.

And I had ruined everything with Dimitri. I still loved him, of course I did. I would never stop. But would he love me after my sudden outburst in his room? I appreciated that he respected rules, and the truth was I liked the slow pace we were in right now. It made us _us_.

After supper, I headed back to my room. There was no point in going anywhere else except into a deep slumber. There was no looking forward to secret late night meetings with Dimitri.

I sat on my bed, stroking my hair that I had let loose from its messy bun. It had grew a bit longer over time so it touched the top of my waist. I remembered how Dimitri once told me he loved me hair. It's what made me _me. _And that was why he had loved me. He told me that he didn't care how beautiful I was, but how beautiful I was inside.

But I didn't know what he saw inside me now. He had no reason to love me. If only I could go back this morning and fix everything, we wouldn't be in this situation.

There was a shuffling sound from behind me and I turned my head towards the window. My heart was beating like crazy. Was it...? No, it couldn't be.

There was another shuffling sound and I saw a hand appear on the ledge of the window. I stood up from the bed and took slowly steps towards the window.

Suddenly, Dimitri appeared behind the thick glass of the window. He unlatched the lock that I always left open and climbed inside my room.

My heart was hammering inside my chest. He had actually came.

He closed the window tightly behind him and turned to face me. I was happy to see him at first, but then my face morphed to a look of sadness. Everything I had done to him...everything I had said.

He walked over to me with a blank expression. I couldn't read his face. When he stopped, we were so close, only about a foot away.

I didn't know what he was going to do. Confront me? Carefully, he reached out and took my hand in his. It was warm and so familiar.

I felt something cold slide onto my right hand. When I looked down, I soon realized he had slipped the ring back on my finger. I looked up at him in surprise and pure shock. He moved his hands to caress my face, his thumbs stroking the under my eyes. I blushed at his touch and shivered slightly.

Then, he leaned down slowly and kissed me. It was soft and sweet, a kiss that he rarely gave me. I stayed frozen in place as he continued kissing me.

When we both pulled away, our foreheads were still touching. I could hear the sound of both our ragged breathing after the amazing kiss.

He placed his hand on my shoulder on the sleeve of my dress. He gently pushed it down from my shoulder, leaving it completely bare. Then, if it were a dream, he finally spoke words that laced around his Russian accent.

"Don't make me regret this," he whispered.

Then, he began kissing my jaw, down to my neck.

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**! Ooh...what's Dimka talking about and what'll he do? And guess what's coming up in the next chapter?**

**Okay, now I promise this is the last update of 2010! I'm pretty sure I can't update this weekend because I'm hanging out my crush and his friends (he's coming back from Aspen on Thursday). We're seeing Yogi Bear on Saturday and on Sunday we're gonna watch a bunch of horror movies at his house. :) **

**Sorry if the ending is kind of rushed. I'm tired, its 11:00, and I wanna go to sleep. So I'll see you guys! Night!**

**VOTE IN THE POLL FOR ROSE'S DRESS!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, but I was really tired this past week and it doesn't look so good for me this week either. How'd last week go? Amazing! And I have a new bf! Ya he asked me out after we watched a bunch of movies. It was really sweet.**

**Anyways thanks so much for the reviews guys, 38! Here you go! **

**PS: I trick you! :P**

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Chapter 10

And before I knew it, we were on my bed. He was on top of me, kissing everything he could get his hands, or lips, on. I leaned my head back in pleasure as his hands roamed my body in ecstasy and bliss.

It wasn't until moments like this until I realized how much I loved him. He was my life, my soul, my dignity. If I lost him, I wouldn't know how I would go on with my life.

Dimitri was my other half. Without him, I wasn't a whole. I was simply just Rose. Not Roza, someone that was loved by Dimitri.

Then suddenly, I froze in place. What was I doing? I came to my senses. We couldn't do this. We had just been in a fight, and all I wanted to do was talk it out. I did not want to jump into conclusions so fast.

"D-Dimitri." I managed to choke out. When he didn't stop, I had to push him away slightly. That got him to pull back in surprise.

"What is it, Roza?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I-you were right. We shouldn't be doing this." I refused to meet his eyes.

He looked at me curiously and sat on the bed beside me. "What changed your mind?"

I sighed and shook my head. "You were right," I repeated slowly. "I don't think I'm ready. I think I jumped into things too quickly. I am admitting this now so please...I need to talk this out first." I buried my face in my hands, blushing wildly. I was embarrassed to stop this moment, but I needed to do this.

Dimitri was silent, so I took this as a way to say continue. I gulped then looked down at my hands.

"What is the matter, Rose?" Dimitri finally spoke up when I was at loss of words.

"I-I don't know," I admitted. "It is just that I've never actually loved, Dimitri."

Dimitri cocked his head back and forth, clearly confused.

"I mean that you are my first love, Dimitri." I summoned up. "I know all about you, and you know so much about me. But I finally realized the reason you stopped _this_," I motioned back and forth between us, "the first time."

"It's because we only have one life, Dimitri," I continued, "and I want to spent it with you and only you. I want to experience everything with you and treasure every single moment. If we do it know, then what else is left? I want to...", I craned my head for more words, "learn more about you, aside from the things I already know. We will be husband and wife...and I love you. This is why you didn't want to do it earlier, right?"

He inspected me like I was a work of art. I felt my cheeks redden under his massive and powerful gaze. He just had that effect on me.

"Right," he nearly muttered, his gaze softening. "Roza, you know I love you. I want to savor this moment until I know, officially, that I have you as my own. Wait until the time is right, and it will be better then ever." He paused then gave me a small smile. "And I am truly sorry about my behavior earlier. It was uncalled for, and I promise I won't loose control of my anger ever again. I love you, Roza."

I smiled to myself and climbed onto his lap, perching myself firmly on his hips. Then, I attached my mouth to his. His warm lips kissed me back with all the passion he was made of and I felt like nothing compared to him.

Then suddenly, almost out of nowhere, he pulled away and chuckled.

"What?" I asked him.

He shook his head and kissed me again before pulling back. "Nothing, Roza," he said. "It's just that you taste like Russian vodka."

I laughed alongside him and smacked him on the shoulder playfully. "Hey, it was Viktoria who led me on. So don't blame me. And from what she told me, Russian tend to get drunk _all _the time."

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to argue with that. Just wait until our wedding. You won't remember a_ thing_."

I giggled and kissed him again. I just couldn't get enough of him and his warm Russian lips.

A few minutes and gasps of breath later, we were lying in my bed in each other's arms. Dimitri was gazing down at me with wonder and awe which made me shiver deeply.

"Will you stay the night?" I asked him as he ran a hand through my loose hair.

He stopped then looked at me, longing.

"I wish, Roza," he answered, "but we don't want to get caught, now do we? Sneaking around late at night is one thing, but getting caught is another."

I pouted and he all but smiled.

"Don't worry," he continued. "I'll be here until you fall asleep."

I snuggled further into his chest, his body radiating warmth. I closed my eyes as he planted soft kissing on the crown of my head, murmuring sweet things in Russian.

"Dimitri," I said out of nowhere.

"Yes, my Roza?"

"Have you ever thought of having children?"

He was silent for a moment, deep in thought.

"I haven't actually thought about it," he admitted truthfully after a few seconds.

"But, do you?" I asked again.

He shrugged and kissed my hair. "Of course I do, Roza. But only with you; nobody else. I'd have a whole ballroom full of children with you if I could. Have you ever took it into consideration? When the time is right?"

I thought for a moment. I could not imagine myself being a mother of a child, or children for that matter. I had always thought of myself as a tad bit irresponsible. But now that I was with Dimitri, I no longer saw myself as a child, but a woman. And Dimitri actually trusted in me to have his children.

"You've certainly changed my point of view in things," I said, tracing a pattern on his warm hand. "At first, my thought of having children was...facetious. I had never imagined it being one of my choices. But then I met you and everything changed. If I do fall pregnant with you child, when the time is right, I couldn't be more happier."

I felt Dimitri's smile against my neck. His jaw ran along the base and lifted so he could place a sweet, delicate kiss on the section behind my ear.

"Just think about it," I said happily. "Little Rose and Dimitri's running around the castle. One of the them will be the heir, of course."

I turned around in his chest and gave him a long kiss. It was light and passionate, a rare kiss he usually gave among the most heated ones.

"Of course," he complied, pulling his lips away from mine. "But that's a long time away. We don't need to worry about anything except the wedding."

I pressed my lips to his again and smirked. "I absolutely _cannot_ wait until then."

"Mmm," Dimitri mumbled in agreement, his lips brushing against my neck. I turned around and ran my hand through his silky brown hair. His hands slid down to my hips, one which slid down the top of my calf. I felt a tingling feeling of adrenaline burst inside me.

"Go to sleep now, Roza," he whispered into my ear. Then, almost inaudible, he murmured, "YA lyublyu tebya bolʹshe, chem moya sobstvennaya zhiznʹ."

I yawned and looked up at him. "What does that mean?"

I was starting to drift off when I heard him whisper to me,

"I love you more than my own life."

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I woke up to expect myself alone in bed with the arms encircling around me. But I was wrong. I was still firmly in Dimitri's grasp, his arm draped lazily around my stomach. I looked up at him with a small smile on my face. He looked as peaceful as ever, a strand of hair slung across his face.

I listened to his firm breathing for another minute and nuzzled my head in the crook of his neck. I felt his hold on me tighten as I closed my eyes again.

Until I realized Dimitri was _in_ bed. With me. And it was the morning.

I thrashed my head back and nearly jumped when I heard a knock on the door. Well hell.

"Rose?" Lissa's familiar voice rang through the room.

"Dimitri, Dimitri!" I whisper-shouted, shaking him on the shoulder gently. He shook his head and turned around, completely ignoring me.

"Rose? Are you in there?" Mia was the one to ask this time.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I shook Dimitri more severely, looking back and forth between the closed door and him.

"Rose, are you awake?" Lissa asked.

"One minute!" I shouted in reply.

I didn't know what else to do to wake him. So I lifted my hand and slapped him.

"Ouch!" He winced slightly and a red patch appeared on his cheek.

"Sorry," I apologized in a small voice. "You fell asleep last night and Lissa and Mia are outside. So go _now_. We can't risk getting caught."

He was fully alert by now. He forgot all the pain I had caused him on his cheek and stood upright, grabbing his boots and shuffling around the room, trying to find one shoe.

"Can we come in?" Lissa questioned.

"Give me a few minutes!" I replied, helping Dimitri. I found his other boot and threw it at him. He caught it gracefully and slipped it on. I would have looked up at him with amazement, but I did not have time for that.

I ushered him towards the window. He rushed towards it and pulled the window pain open.

And froze.

I bit my lip and said, "Go already!"

"I can't!" He said back, looking at me. "Guards are patrolling the grounds. They're right below this room. If I leave that way, then they'll catch me."

I panicked. What else could I do?

"Rose, seriously, we're coming in." Mia warned.

I threw Dimitri a look and said, "Hold on!"

If Dimitri couldn't get out using the window, then he would have to hide somewhere in the room. I looked around quickly and pointed towards the large armoire. Dimitri would have to crouch a bit, but it would do.

I beckoned him towards it and he stepped inside with much easiness. I closed the doors, leaving one slightly ajar so he would be able to breath.

Then, I hurried towards the door and opened it. A worried Lissa and Mia were standing there, about ready to bust the door down.

"What happened to you?" Mia asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing, nothing. I was just, uh, getting ready for breakfast."

I knew that was the most dull-witted lie I had ever told considering that I was still in my night gown and my hair was all over the place.

Both of them raised their eyebrows, but then shook it off. They entered my room and I bit my lips nervously. What if they caught Dimitri? I trusted them not to tell anyone, but still. Lissa was quiet the teller and now that she was with Christian, I highly certain that she would tell him.

"Well it's good you are up." Lissa said. "The Queen has requested an early breakfast. She says she needs you and the Prince there on time. Something about needing to talk with both of you."

My eyes wondered towards the armoire and I smiled to myself, knowing Dimitri was in there listening to every single word.

"Rose?" Mia said, snapping me out of my gaze.

"Huh?"

"I said I'll lay out your dress," Mia repeated, walking over to the armoire.

Her hands were barely on the brass handles when I yelled, "Stop!"

She pulled her hand away and looked at me. "What?"

"Uh," I racked my head for a reasonable explanation. "Because I want to pick out my own dress today. No need to attend to me today; I'm perfectly alright as it is."

Lissa and Mia exchanged confused glances and stared back at me as if I was crazy.

"Alright, Rose," Lissa said slowly. "Would you like me to run the bath?"

I shook my head and wove them off. "I'm fine. I'll attend to my own needs. Tell Olena that we-I mean I-will be there."

Once they left with wondering expressions, I let out sigh of relief. Dimitri came out of the armoire and lifted me into his arms.

"That was close," he whispered.

"You have no idea," I said. I untangled myself from him and picked out a simple cream dress from the armoire. "I think you should go before my ladies come back with more questions. And I'm certain Christian has stopped by your room already and was greeted by an empty bed."

"Don't worry about Christian." He said. "I'm usually up by this hour and roaming about the castle."

I smiled and pecked his lips once before breaking away and heading towards the bath. I took a quick one, and dressed myself before presenting myself to Dimitri. He looked at me approvingly and we headed down to the dining hall.

Every Belikov was there already, enjoying morning chat. I took my place next to Dimitri and poured my usual cup of tea.

"Roza, Dimka." Olena acknowledged. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I said back with a warming smile. "My ladies

"Yes," she started, "I have a task for both of you."

"What is it?" Dimitri asked.

"I want you two to travel to Moskovsky and deliver the new scrolls of laws that were just recently passed. It is not too far away, but you will need to stay a few days just to make sure the overseeing family will receive the new rules."

"Of course, Mama," Dimitri obeyed. "Who are Roza and I staying with?"

"The Kislyaks," Olena answered firmly.

I heard Viktoria almost choke next to me ad we all turned to her. She wiped her mouth quickly and let out a big grin.

"Kislyak? Mama, may I go as well? I have not seen Rolan in a long while!"

I suddenly recalled the night of the banquet where I had met Viktoria's friends. One of them which was named Rolan Kislyak. She had told me his father was a lord, but she hadn't told me that her family was overseeing the town of Moskovsky.

"Please, Mama," Viktoria begged. "I only see Rolan once every two months when he and his family visit the castle. Oh please let me go!"

"Viktoria." Olena said. "We will discuss this later. Not at the table. Right now we are planning Roza and Dimka's trip."

Viktoria was about to protest but was silenced by Yeva's glare. I smiled to myself and looked back at Olena.

"But why cannot the messenger just take the scrolls?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Because if new laws were recently passed, then the overseeing families must receive them from a royal to make sure it is not a useless scam," Dimitri explained.

"But why only Moskovsky?"

"Moskovsky is the nearest city to where we are," Karolina explained. "So we appointed our closest family to us, the Kislyaks, to oversee it, or to look over it. Basically the family that oversees Moskovsky is the second family in line to be the heir. If our family name ends, then the Kislyaks would take over. But it's the second royal family, as we call them, that spreads around the laws. So you just give the list of rules to the Kislyaks and wait for them to send them out to all over Russia."

"Wow." I said. This system of laws was confusing, but so organized.

"It takes awhile to enhance things," Dimitri said, smiling at me.

"Then it's settled then," I called. "When shall Dimitri and I leave?"

"I was thinking in a couple of hours. Just so you can arrive in Moskovsky by night fall. It will just be a short trip, so I was thinking one carriage and three guards will do," Olena remarked. "The Kislyaks have many servants so I'm sure they would be happy to attend to you."

I nodded. I was sad that I would be leaving Lissa and Mia, but I couldn't help but feel happy that I would be with Dimitri.

After breakfast, we all broke off to prepare for the trip. Lissa and Mia were packing a few dresses only, considering I would only be in Moskovsky for a few days.

I wondered about the castle until Viktoria called for me. She told me that we Dimitri and I would be leaving soon and they needed us outside. When I asked her if she was coming along, she shook her head silently and shrugged it off.

And before we new it, Dimitri and I were in the carriage, leaning into each other's arms. We didn't need words to say how we felt about each other, because the way he looked at me told a thousand words.

He told me it would be a rather quick trip and we would be in Moskovsky in a matter of hours.

"Have you ever been there?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Only once, though. You'll love it there, Roza. Lord Alexander Kislyak and Lady Karina have a bunch of children. Most of them are around your age, and they have two that are around my age."

"What are they like?"

"Well the ones your age are eloquent and sophisticated. They were just raised that way. But some of them can be on the rough side, I suppose."

"How about the older ones?" I questioned.

Dimitri paused. A pregnant second later, he said, "One is a man, the other a woman. The woman was found by Lord Alexander so she hasn't the Kislyak blood. She's native born. She looks different, so I'm sure you'll recognize her easily. But she doesn't go by the surname Kislyak. She goes by her actual surname."

"Why?"

"It's complicated, Rose," he said, his voice treading off.

"Wait but what is her name?" I asked frantically. Huh. Today I was just full of questions.

Dimitri was silent again. Then, I felt him kiss my head and murmur, "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

**So I decided I'm not going to put a lemon until later on. It's what most people wanted, so I guess I'll just save the best for the last. But Rose and Dimitri almost always have hot make out sessions. **

**I'm not really sure when I'm going to update because this week will be pretty hectic. (Fuck my French teacher, giving us an all week exam)**

**So who do you think the lady is? And is Dimitri...hiding something from Rose? Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a while but school's gotten the best of me. But my two projects are done and I'm free. Not literally free because I still have a lot of work, but at least I got a chapter up! This is kind of short, I know, but I had to write this quickly. There isn't a lot of smut between Rose and Dimitri in this chapter, but more like conflict with a certain Kislyak. **

**

* * *

**Chapter 11

"Roza, we are here," Dimitri announced. I was completely spaced out, not aware of my surroundings or the sudden jolt the carriage made when it came to a stop.

I snapped my head up at Dimitri's voice. A ray of sun splashed through the tiny window, hitting Dimitri's face and making it look more godlike then ever.

I shifted slightly as Dimitri helped me out of the cramped carriage. I yawned and stretched my limbs before taking view of the house. It was more or less a cottage, but bigger then most. It was a delicate cream color with brown wood outlines and a stone path leading to the entrance. The house looked fairly big, enough to fit all the Kislyaks and one or two more guests.

"Ready?" Dimitri asked, holding out his hand.

I reluctantly took it and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Ready."

We walked along the stone pathway, hand in hand, as the latched door swung open and revealed a middle-aged woman. She clapped her hands in delight at the sight of us and stepped forward with open arms.

"Ah, your majesty," the woman said politely, bowing, "I see that your trip has reached its highest standards." She turned to me and gave me a warm smile. "Princess," she greeted.

"Indeed it has, Alberta," Dimitri answered. "The guards will start to unload the trunks. I leave it to you to see that they be delivered to Lord Alexander."

"Of course," she said. Now that she was closer, I saw that she was in her mid-fifties. She looked quite old, but certainly looked as if she were a fighter. With her sandy hair with strands of loose white, she looked like a lady that would put up a physical fight.

"But first," Alberta continued, "Lady Karina requests you both see her in the library."

"I think I remember the way," Dimitri said, tightening his grip on my hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Oh yes, Roza, this is Alberta Petrov, the Kislyak's advisor and housemaid. She will tend to your needs if you are in need of something."

Alberta bowed once more. "It is an honor to have you in my presence, Princess Rose. If you'll excuse me, I'll tend to the guards unloading."

I smiled at her and she motioned for us to come in. We went inside into the warm and cozy house. The house was covered in ornate settings and elaborate velvet furniture. The ceiling was high with a crystal chandelier hanging just above the doorway. The olive-toned wall was decorated with oil paintings of various monarchs and sceneries.

I clutched Dimitri's hand as he led us into a long hallway alined with closed brass doors. I could faintly hear the sound of talking laughter behind every door.

"The Kislyak children," Dimitri mumured. "They tend to spend their time inside their rooms. But they will come out later to greet you."

He pulled me gently towards the door at the end of the hall, which I assumed was the library. He opened the door for me to step inside and I abided. The walls of the library were filled with shelves stacked with books. A tall, wall length window was displayed at the far end of the library, with blood red curtains drawn to the corners. The crackling blaze on the hearth of the fireplace burned warmly, illuminating the room and giving it a light glow.

A set of velvet armchairs were placed around the fire surrounding a Persian carpet. In the one of the chairs, a woman, no younger then thirty, was quietly gazing at the burning wood. She looked up upon our entrance and smiled.

She was beautiful. Her auburn hair was down and fell back in loose ringlets making a light halo around her soft looking face. Her greenish gold eyes glowed happiness as she stepped forward and bowed.

"It is of the greatest integrity that I have you in my home," she said with a light voice. "Please, sit. My Lord is out taking care of some details, but will be out of his studies shortly."

Dimitri and I took on the velvet love seat across from Lady Karina. She swept her hair back away from her shoulders with delicate fingers as her pink lips curved up into a sweet and pleasant smile.

"So tell me," Lady Karina started, "how was your trip? I hope the short distance wasn't harsh on you."

Dimitri broke out a smile. "Not likely, my Lady. It was fair and it felt good to be out of the castle again with Rose."

"What a lovely duo you two make," she implied. Her eyes shifted towards me and inspected me for a moment, before snapping her eyes back to Dimitri.

I let Dimitri and Karina take off with their conversation alone. I did not want to include myself in it, especially since I did not want t say the wrong thing to a person I had not fully met yet.

I was staring deeply into the flames engulfing the burning wood in the fire place when a familiar, male voice roared with laughter.

I snapped my head to the side and caught sight of the figure of Rolan Kislyak walk into the room. The corner of his eyes were crinkled in amusement as he continued to let out a hearty laugh. I was going to ask what was funny when I noticed something.

He wasn't alone.

Hooked onto his left arm was a hand. And the owner of that hand was girl.

She was probably about sixteen or seventeen, but looked quite old for age. Her luscious blonde hair was braided into one crown on her head and her striking gray eyes roamed about the room, head held high even though she was recovering from a fit of wild giggles.

Her blood red lips were tilted up into a flashy smile as she pressed a gentle kiss on Rolan's cheek. His only reaction was to hold her tighter.

I stared at them in wonder. Rolan was with another girl? I had thought he was with Viktoria? Or did Viktoria have a mere crush on him, and he did not return her feelings?

I knew Viktoria would not like this. Her and Rolan living apart from each other and not being able to contact face to face was hard. Viktoria had all her hopes up on coming with us on this trip, but what would she get out of it? A broken heart.

After Rolan had finally calmed down of his fit, he nodded at Dimitri and I and smiled. The smile he had on his face was like he had just entered the room and nothing at happened. It was like he didn't notice the girl hanging onto his arm like a lost puppy.

"Greetings Rose, Dimitri," he said smoothly. He didn't bother to waste his time with titles. He acted as if he had known us forever instead of a couple of weeks.

"Hello, Rolan," I said, nodding my head at him, "How do you do?"

"Very well, thank you," he answered. Meanwhile, the girl next to him did nothing but glare at me. Her green eyes cut through my flesh like daggers. I raised my eyebrows at her but did not say anything.

"Oh, pardon me," Rolan said, pointing towards the girl, "This is Camille."

I forced a smile at her as she lifted up her hands and made the slightest motion with her fingers.

Rolan turned to her and put on his dazzling smile. "I will see you again soon. I had _fun_. I think I shall accompany my guests now."

Camille let out a tiny giggle as she kissed Rolan's cheek again. "Do not forget to visit me!" And with that she left down the hall.

Rolan watched as she left and turned back to us. He slid into the seat beside me and smirked.

Karina sighed. "Please excuse my son. He always has his lady friends over." Lady friends?

I stared at Rolan as he rolled his eyes carelessly at his mother. How disrespectful.

"Please, Mother," he started amusingly, "I think Father needs your presence in his studies."

"He does?"

"Oh yes," Rolan said, nodding his head, "Now go before he has a fit and scares the younger ones."

Lady Karina shook her head in disapproval at Rolan. How rude this young man was. He was very dishonest to his Mother and how could I have respect for this.

I turned to Dimitri and saw he had the same reproving look as I had. Rolan treated his mother like a servant. Bossing her around, making practical jokes, and dismissing her.

"You talk to your mother like that? With such disregard?" I scoffed.

Rolan's smirk widened. "Don't I always. It's very typical of me. My family is very used to my snarky attitude." The last part was meant to be a joke, but neither one of us laughed.

I looked blankly at him. Viktoria liked this man? A man with such disrespect? If I compared him and Dimitri, Dimitri would win hands down.

"I'm just kidding," Rolan joked. He focused his attention towards me, completely ignoring Dimitri.

"It's been fairly long since I've last seen you," Rolan said with a charming smile, "I hope you're doing well."

"I am," I answered back politely, "I've gotten used to living in Russia by now. I love it."

"I'm glad you do, Roza," I felt Dimitri's breath next to my ear. I smiled at myself as he squeezed my cold hands, sending a shock of amazement throughout me.

I heard an almost irritated cough as we both snapped back to Rolan, who had a vexed expression on his face. He tried to hide it, but I could almost tell that it was not working.

"Where are your siblings, Rolan?" Dimitri asked smoothly.

Rolan looked at Dimitri wearily, but he did not seem to notice.

"In their rooms," Rolan sneered. I was taken aback at Rolan's sudden change of attitude.

"Why don't you go and see them so Rose and I can catch up?" He continued, a look of pure hatred on his face.

I looked at Dimitri and saw he had a similar look as Rolan. He too was annoyed, but he had a reason. Rolan, on the other hand, had no particular reason to be irked by such a sudden appearance.

Dimitri's jaws were clenched and his hands were balled up into tight fists. He was trying to hold back his annoyance, I observed.

"I think I shall stay here with Rose," Dimitri said, his voice cold.

"I'll keep her warm, Belikov," Rolan joked harshly, "Don't worry, I can watch over her while your gone. And I think my father would like to see you in his studies as well."

Dimitri's nostrils were flaring for a moment. I clasped his hand in mine and felt him tense up, before relaxing. He still had a look of loath in his eyes, but it was amazing how fast he could calm down.

"I'll see your father when I'm ready," Dimitri said, like a true king, "Now why don't you tend off to scandalizing with your lady maids while I take Rose with me."

Rolan sighed with frustration. "I don't know what your talking about, Belikov."

"You know perfectly what I'm talking about, Kislyak," Dimitri said, "And don't ever think you can talk to anybody like the way you do. Don't treat them like fools, because a fool you truly are. And one more thing: Stay away from Viktoria, stay away from Rose, and stay away from my family."

"That's going to be quiet hard to do," Rolan debated. He stood up and was almost out of the room before he stopped and said, "But never the less, you cannot stop me, Belikov. I'm a Kislyak. Kislyaks don't stop until they get what they want. And in this case, it's satisfying my _pleasure_." With that, he left the room with a devious smirk.

I looked at Dimitri for any kind of explanation, but all he did was bury his hands in his face. I could tell he was thinking deeply about something, and I did not want to disturb him.

A few minutes later, Dimitri lifted his head up and sighed. I placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it soothingly before placing a kiss on his jaw.

Dimitri smiled sadly at me, which I returned.

"Roza?" He suddenly asked.

"Yes?"

"Promise me you'll stay away from Rolan Kislyak," he implied, "He is not the charming boy anybody thinks he is?"

"What do you mean?"

"Rolan is a skirt-chaser," Dimitri explained, "I don't like the way he treats women, like they are a one-time fling and too common to treasure."

"B-But Viktoria!"

Dimitri sighed. "I know. Viktoria likes Rolan, and she is too blind and young to see that she is just another victim of his. I've tried to warn her, but she's too infiltrated with Rolan that she thinks what I say is a joke. That's why I want you to stay away from him, Rose. I don't want him to hurt you in any kind of way or use you like he does to other women."

"I'll never fall into one of his traps," I declared, "I promise. Maybe I should talk to Viktoria and-

Dimitri interrupted me.

"It doesn't make a difference," he said, "She won't listen. Rolan's effect on her makes her feel special. All we could do is ignore him and keep safe."

I snuggled into his arms and sighed. "I thought you said I'd love the Kislyak children."

I felt Dimitri's kiss on my hair. "You will. Except for him. They are all well rounded except for Rolan. Trust me, Roza. Just stay away from him. That's all we can do."

I lifted my head up so I met his warm, soft lips. He kissed me with all the passion I was made of and boy was that a lot.

He placed one hand around my waist, the other at my forearm.

I wound my arms around his neck so I could kiss my soon-to-be husband better. He seemed to get the message and pressed his lips harder against mine.

Our kisses were always full of love, and that's why I enjoyed kissing Dimitri. Every kiss with him meant something to both of us. It was like a conversation without words.

At least, until someone interrupted.

"Dimka!" I familiar, squeaky voice squealed.

I knew that voice anywhere. I almost regret turning around the second I did.

If I didn't, I wouldn't have met the snarky, blue-eyed beauty of Natasha Ozera.

* * *

**Yup, must of you guessed the native born Kislyak was Tasha. And you got it right! Congratulations. Okay, so I don't know when I'm going to be updating because I'm really busy nowadays. **

**I was thinking about this idea lately, but I really want to make a post Last Sacrifice story. Like what happens to Rose and Dimitri afterwards. It'll just be a project I'll be working on if I get stuck on this story so tell me what you guys think. Should I make it or not?**

**Review and show me love! Laters. **


	12. AN Don't Kill Me

***Hides behind virtual chair and peaks out***

****Hey there...remember this story that I haven't updated in more than a year...well, hi. Um, I don't know how to explain this, but I don't really have an excuse for my long absence. So yeah. It's just that one thing lead to another and I just pushed the idea of updating my stories to the back of my brain. I know it's been more than a year, but I can truly say I never forgot about fanfiction. And now, I finally took the time out of my hectic life to see where my stories went...and see if I could possibly finish it. I have a few ideas, but it may take me a few weeks to get the courage to write again. I feel like the idea of this story won't be the same, but of course, at least you know that I'm always here. I'll try to update in about one or two weeks when I try to recover my ideas. I PROMISE. Hopefully my readers are still here and haven't left me.

And it may help to reread the previous chapters, just to refresh your mind a little. Thank you so much for understanding, and I hope to write for you all again soon!

xxx, Camilla


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